Perfectly
by A.L.Killer
Summary: When the Gods see you fitting to have a soulmate, they give. And they are chosen and destined for you the moment you turn eighteen by a simple tattoo, a tattoo of their first words. [Soulmate tattoos AU] M-rated for strong language and sexual references. AryaXGendry, JonXYgritte, TheonXJeyne, and other pairings to put the cherry on top.
1. Not An Anorak

**PART ONE: PERFECTLY WRONG**

 **(Arya's Story)**

She felt like a corpse.

A corpse so heavy and drained of any sign of life, its vessels lacking the healthy blood and replaced with pumping dark ink that never seemed to stop running under her skin.

She woke up with a neutral glare on her face the moment she opened her eyes to the new day, her nineteenth nameday morning to be specific.

And it felt even worse than the year before.

Everyone around her wouldn't stop mentioning her future soulmate, and Arya Stark, the figure that was lying on her bed and sending hateful looks at the ceiling, grew to hate him and her tattoo even more than she already did the unfortunate day she received it.

And taking it out by too much drinking, attending wild parties, and occasional snorting did not even help the slightest bit.

* * *

On her eighteenth's nameday, exactly a year before; Arya was quite hopeful, yet completely anxious to what was coming.

That unfortunate night, sleep refused to cross her eyelids as she waited dreadfully for her soulmate tattoo to appear. Her mother had eventually busted in Arya's room and told her that she needed to sleep if she wanted her tattoo to show any time soon.

She gave in after a long angsty fight, a life lecture, and sleeping pills as a peace offer from Jon, her closest brother.

All night she flipped around her bed and rolled around like an untamed animal. She destroyed her sheets and pillows, and finally, _finally_ woke up; sweaty as if she just came out of one of her extreme kickboxing episodes.

Arya stepped out of the bed and regretted it immediately, feeling her feet light and clumsy with the very first step she took.

She rubbed her eyes, smudging the mascara and dark eyeliner across her face and yawning. Arya then stood tall in front of her long mirror, and felt herself shrinking instantly when she couldn't bring herself to reveal it.

Her hands shook and refused to grab her tank top, her eyes were even more stubborn, and did not dare to glance an inch down her torso.

It was right there. Right in her vision. Right under the fabric that covered her tanned stomach, but she did not dare look.

Arya glared at the mirror like she was facing Cersei Lannister herself, queen of all that was evil, and broke eye contact when they both blinked at the same time in defeat.

 _Pathetic,_ Arya cursed herself, walking away from the mirror and into a hot shower after half an hour of a glaring competition between her reflection and herself. _Fucking pathetic_

She felt a slight sting on her right hip upon settling in the tub, and she _knew_ the tattoo was placed there. And it was a big tattoo; judging from the area of where the pain was coming from, so the phrase her soulmate would tell her the first time they meet would be very long.

A very unpleasant thought crossed her mind, despite herself.

Perhaps he was a romantic anorak, like Theon had told her. _No!_ she scolded herself, _my soulmate is not a goddamn anorak!_

Theon was messing with her, she was aware of that. Her older brothers enjoyed doing that ever since her nameday came close. They did that as well with Sansa years before, and the redhead ended up crying her eyes out when Robb mentioned the possibility that he could be an ugly bearded truck driver waiting at the side of the road for his pretty innocent soulmate.

The joke had went too far and her perfection of an older sister locked herself up in her room for three whole days, eventually giving up after her mini fridge and emptied and she didn't have any more snacks to survive on.

A savage girl she was.

Her father had scolded her brothers for the immature behavior and they promised not to go this far again.

With _Sansa_.

Now they had shifted their aim at the younger sister to torment, but Arya was not Sansa. She shook off their jokes and played along, even telling them that he might be a married fat drunkard for all she cared; she did not let it show that she was also scared to death.

There was even a huge possibility that Arya wouldn't get a tattoo in the first place. Like her brother Theon never had, or their infamous aunt Lysa.

Though, honestly, Arya didn't mind if he was a fat married drunkard. She was more frightened that he would turn out to be a romantic anorak. _I can make him divorce his wife and get in shape_ , she had thought then, _and heck, we'll even drink together._ But an anorak was not an option. _Theon can fuck off and go straight to hell._

Because simply, a soulmate meant much more for her.

Arya was always an odd girl, a black sheep swimming in the white, almost drowning. She didn't have a moral compass or a legacy to follow like the rest did.

All she had, was madness so deeply rooted that it frightened her to a point she couldn't speak to anyone about it.

She was born into a noble house, surrounded, respected, looked upon, and expected so much from by many, and often disappointing all who are around her with not a slight ounce of guilt.

Being the rebellious, wild, and untamed child, she had focused on one goal her entire eighteen years of life.

Which was to leave the alien society she was raised in and never come back.

Her last name, however, never failed to be in the way; Stark was one of the most well-known titles in Britain. Her father was the U.K. Prime Minister, and it was no rumor that King Robert left most of the kingdom under her father's management.

Robert Baratheon wasn't very productive as a king, but she liked him all the same. He was a carefree man and had all the power this world could offer, but having power was not the same as ruling.

Everyone knew that her father was the one keeping the whole kingdom together. And Arya, along with her siblings, had his last name to protect and maintain as very important members of the society, and keep her rebellious acts out of the public's radar.

With all that on her plate, Arya never stopped believing that she was born in the wrong place. Almost like a human who found themselves in the wrong gender since their birth.

She was consumed with an independent mindset, a sense of freedom and inner vagueness that didn't match with anyone she knew. Arya was aware of the world around her, almost too aware of the people who starved to death and didn't have a roof to sleep under to a point it made her hate her position with bitterness.

Someone had told her once that wealthy people were born wealthy because they were fated to be by the Old Gods. But to her, fate wasn't always rectified to some people who didn't deserve it, who didn't deserve the goodness. Or to many, the injustice that befell on them.

Arya was that unlikable individual who did not listen to anyone, and did whatever her heart told her to do. She didn't wait for tonight to have her first drink, to smoke her first cigarette, or bothered to have a filter when spoke.

She didn't grow up in the streets, per se, but fights were her only solace for a kind of release.

Her brothers had creative minds, not her. Sansa was a perfect, influencing Lady, not her.

Arya had a dream ever since she was nearly six, to travel the globe in an endless ride, and meet all kinds of people and cultures and see the world.

But as Arya grew older, she knew it was just a dream.

With where her life was heading, Arya would probably stay there and work in her family's company – the North Company Lines – which will pass down to Robb. And to his sons after him, without achieving anything but remain in that wrong point of place and time.

Her parents didn't listen to her. Her friends didn't understand her. And her siblings were so different from Arya that it made her feel like she did not belong there.

Only Jon listened, but he never knew what she was going through. Because unlike her, he had took advantage of his name and standing and embraced it to make their parents proud.

A soulmate though, a soulmate would change _everything_.

When they were younger, she used to act disgusted and repulsed whenever her sister mentioned the fairy tales of people finding their soulmates and meeting the one person that completed them.

However, in reality, deep inside, she knew that he was her future rescuer. Arya's only wish was to find someone who understood those feelings she had, someone who would take her far away from this place.

So she had waited for this day, and hoped, hoped for a change, hoped for freedom.

* * *

Arya checked everything in her bag to make sure her kickboxing equipment were all there. That sport became her default hobby, and her father was glad she could be able to legally hit people without bringing him problems and inconvenience.

Ned, admittedly, had spent a good amount of her childhood apologizing to countless teachers, sitters, and angry parents because of her.

So he actually encouraged it, as long as she didn't take it out of the arena, and even went as far as to hire a personal trainer when she was just a child with anger management issues.

Before heading downstairs, she pulled on a clean pair of jeans with the same tank top from the morning. Arya did not believe in beauty mourning routines and blow-drying, she saved these sorts of useless nonsense for special occasions.

Her first time entering a local bar without a fake ID last night, was one of them.

The frown and black circles framing her eyes were the only makeup Arya needed for the day.

She descended the stairs, tiptoeing in a pitiful attempt to avoid her family at all costs that morning, but as always, Rickon shat on her plans.

"She woke up!" Her eleven year old brother announced, shouting on top of his lungs.

She heard footsteps and her heart raced with it.

"Arya!" her mother appeared from nowhere - actually from the kitchen, but nowhere all the same. "Happy nameday, dear."

Arya audibly groaned as Catelyn Stark placed a wet kiss on her cheek. The older woman led her daughter to the kitchen, where she heard loud chatter, an unmistakable bad sign.

Gulping, Arya no longer worried if her mother smelled any trace of alcohol or smoke on her, and focused solely on the horror that awaited her in the breakfast table.

Theon and Robb, her oldest siblings, were drumming on the table in a dramatic, suspenseful.

"Here's the nameday girl!" Bran, her younger brother, cheered beside them.

Jon, the quiet one who only spoke when it is utmost necessary, calmly observed her with his striking grey eyes that matched her own. "Wow sis, you look like shit."

Her father simply gave her a subtle smile, and went back to his newspaper. Jon and Arya took his traits; they were born with grey eyes, jet black hair and long faces whilst the rest took after their mother with auburn hair and round features, all except Theon, who was blond and looked very different from the rest for obvious reasons.

"So Arya, loner forever or a soulmate?" Theon asked, the trademark smirk forming playfully on his lips.

" _Theon!_ " her sister Sansa chastened, Princess Myrcella glaring openly next to her at him. That girl, Robert Baratheon's daughter, was so close to her sister she practically lived in their mansion, much to Arya's annoyance.

"What? Jon calls her shit, nobody bats an eye. Poor Theon asks a rational question, everybody loses their minds!" Her brother exclaimed.

"Sit, dear." Her mother practically forced her on a chair, the creepy smile not leaving her face, sitting next to Sansa, who, with her wavy red hair, was a replica of Catelyn.

There was a moment of dreaded silence, and nobody spoke, just eager eyes eating Arya whole. She poured milk in her cereal and began eating like it was just a normal day.

Her father finally put the paper down. "What do you all have to say?"

" _Happy nameday, Arya!_ " they all erupted at the same time, shouting like madmen. Arya winced in embarrassment.

The only one who said it wholeheartedly was Rickon. The rest faked excitement and it was evident what they all wanted.

She shrugged indifferently. "Thanks."

Someone turning eighteen was the most entertaining and long-awaited event to teenagers. It was a juicy chance for spreading gossip and a good source for blackmailing, but Arya wasn't in the mood to tolerate anyone. Freshly tattooed or not, her cornflakes were calling for her.

Ned continued his breakfast calmly and without any more interest, but the silence did not last.

"Come _on_ ," Sansa was the first one to snap, giving in to the curiosity. "I'm friggin' _dying_ in here, Arya."

The rest followed suit, but she insisted, stubbornly, on giving her cereal more attention than her whole family.

" _Aryaaaa!_ " Rickon pulled her top but she did not respond, ignoring the seven voices that were striking at the same time.

Their chatter started to fade and she was thanking the Gods above.

When a long wave of silence unnaturally lingered, she heard a chair scrapping against the floor, and felt a hand on her shoulder.

Arya looked up and found Theon at the corner of her eye, his short dirty blond hair brushing her ear.

To her utter shock he looked serious, which rarely - if ever - happened.

"It's okay, Ar," his voice came in a solemn whisper. "Not having a soulmate is not the end of the world. I mean look at me, I'm awesome."

Her eyes widened. Then she realized nobody spoke against it, probably all beginning to think that she wasn't deemed fit to have a soulmate. They wouldn't even be surprised if that was the case, would they?

Her anger was fuming.

" _I got the goddamn tattoo, alright?!_ " she snapped.

"She has it!" Theon announced, turning to face them.

"Show it then." Bran spoke up, pouring wildfire on a brazier as the rest of the youth echoed.

" _Show it! Show it! Show it! Show it! Show it-_ "

"Enough!" her father came to her rescue, knowing too well the outcome of his daughter's inevitable anger. "Kids, give the girl some space."

Her mother tried to look serious as well, but she miserably failed. The curiosity was apparent on her sideway puppy eyes and Arya resisted the urge to kick something.

"What's wrong, sis?" Jon said mid-laughter, "Remember when Sans had hers? She came down _running_ to show us."

" _Yeah_ , she did."

"Arya, listen to me; it's okay if his first words weren't as romantic as my soulmate's. He's yours all the same." Sansa said, all gracefully, but she could _not_ , for once in her life, not flash her trump card. Arya grew sick of hearing the same phrase over and over and over again. "I mean, someone wouldn't just walk to you and say words like _'Watch for yourself, little bird'_ , that's a bit-"

Arya slammed down her juice glass on the table as hard as she can, and spoke in a hushed, livid voice. "I _didn't_ look at it yet."

"Oh my Gods." Myrcella whispered in horror.

Her mother finally lost it after that. "Come on, sweetie." _Oh god, please don't._ "Then share it with your family, we will all see it together."

Arya took the best course of action. She completely ignored her.

" _Aryaaaa, pleaaaaseee!_ " Rickon resumed his mission to annoy his older sister as much as he can.

"Hmph," Theon scuffed, "Look at you, I don't think you have one after all."

"I have one!" Arya shot back.

Theon smiled mischievously, "Then man up and show it."

Her sister and her best friend gave her longing looks, her mother pouted in desperation, Jon nodded his head at her and Robb and Theon gave a daring looks, her father though, looked overall uninterested.

 _This goddamn family._

"For fuck sake!" She yelled, standing up abruptly. Her dad muttered a quiet _'language'_ under his breath , but she continued anyway, and pulled up her top just about a level so they could see where her skin was stinging. "Here! Happy?!"

There was a third silence, but it was a deadly one.

Jon dropped his tea spoon. Sansa and Myrcella's mouths were shaped in awkward Os. Bran's eyes almost popped out of his skull, and her mother put a hand on her chest. The rest just looked shocked and speechless, but Theon amused.

Rickon was the one to break it, with a wild, uncontrollable, inconsiderate fit of laughter.

The boys started chuckling helplessly, the girls went from shocked to disgusted, and even her father showed amusement.

" _What_?!" She yelled, anxious, "What does it say?!"

Everyone looked at Theon for support, who was snickering unashamedly, "Nope, nope, hell no. I'm not going be the one to break it to her."

" _What?!_ "

Her father sighed.

"This is a horrible, horrible thing to say." Sansa said, and Myrcella nodded.

"So rude." Her mother shook her head mournfully.

" _WHAT?!_ "

"Sis," Robb decided to be helpful. "Go to the hall's mirror and see for yourself."

"N-no! What does it say?!"

"Go." Jon said simply.

And she did.

Arya stomped her way to the hall with her hand still on the hem of the clothing. Then she saw her reflection, and her heart sank to her stomach.

 _ **'Fucking M'lady doesn't even bother to look where she's going'**_

And Arya Stark ran outside the mansion in fury, and didn't come back until after midnight with all the frustration temporarily gone.

A lot of people heard that there were serious injuries on most of the trainees at The Black and White Kickboxing Center that day.

* * *

Arya groaned loudly at the memory, she walked to the same mirror, one year older, and looked at herself with only a white sport bra and shorts, and she didn't know what she was expecting.

It was the same tattoo, on the same place, with the same crooked font, and the same letters.

She was sure her soulmate wasn't an anorak by now, but a rude asshole she was sure he was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Mag**

Arya was partially deafened by the time The Brotherhood started playing their third song, she took a deep breath and detached herself from the open buffet at the backstage area and headed into the mass of bodies and entered the heart of the concert once more. Everything was spinning and with her light headiness and uncontrollable giggles she knew that the alcohol had started to kick in.

She bumped into everyone and everything and gave up when she couldn't find a familiar face and just let her body move on its own and handle the rest. Her movements came out clumsy and did not match the music's rhythm, and by that Arya knew that she had officially joined in on the drunken madness. She couldn't even see the singers' faces the whole time she was there, but Arya did not care, she wanted to enjoy the time as much as she can before her wits decided to come back.

If anyone told Arya that she would be spending her nineteenth nameday night at one of the wildest concerts London had had all year she would not believe them. Her family had a costume of spending each nameday with their own kin peacefully at the mansion, but this year there was a slight twist and she ended up as always, dragged somewhere she didn't want to go to by her siblings.

The same morning Arya came out of her morning shower, on her way to dress, her muscles aching from the beating she took from Jaqen the day before. The Kindly Instructor made sure to put the little Stark against the most frightening opponent he had, to weary her out and avoid another future tragedy like last year's. And it worked. Arya was in Wight mode after she came back to that very moment. None of the female members bothered to go against Arya anymore, and she had defeated everyone at the center at least once but H'ghar was a gallant beast and she was still no match for him, the creepy tall fellow who had a strange habit of talking in third person was the reason she joined from the first place five years ago, but he was too skilled and natural Arya had put it as a life goal to match up to him one day, yesterday proved another failure but she wasn't going to stop trying anytime soon.

Arya put on the first clothing combination she set her eyes on and walked out of her room, grabbing her kickboxing helmet and flipping it on the back of her shoulder with the sport bag in the other hand. Even the walk downstairs was agony, her feet weren't cooperating and by the time she reached the first floor Rickon's calling earned him an instant eye roll from her.

"Arya's up!" he told the people in the kitchen.

"Good then we're all going to head out together." Arya was startled to see her mother and sister changed to go outside, it took her a long mental check to remember that her brothers were coming back today for the nameday.

"I was actually heading to The Black and White's." Arya told them, but in vain. Catelyn was already grabbing her purse and was heading for the door with Sansa on her tails.

"Nonsense, your brothers came all the way from Riverlands just for you." Catelyn did not even check if Arya was following as she headed for the black SUV parked outside. The chauffeur was waiting and her father and Bran were already seated in the back.

Arya climbed in with the rest because she had no other choice. Squeezing in after Rickon.

"Arya couldn't you wear something elegant? We're welcoming them from the airports and reporters will sure be there," Catelyn was saying, fixing Rickon's collar who refused to stay still. "You look like you're going for a battle."

"Because I was!" Arya was going to demand a rematch, no matter how much her limbs hurt. She wasn't going to win but the more she went against H'ghar the more experienced she got.

"Are you going to be sulking every year? Get over Mag already, you're turning repulsive." Sansa told her, thumbs on her phone and eyes switching between her sister and the screen.

"It's not about Mag!"

"Suuuure it's not." Bran's sarcasm stroke, his attention on his own phone.

"Who needs Mag? You have us." Rickon said genuinely.

"Stop it!"

 _Mag_ was the nickname they created for Arya's soulmate, it was originally _'Mlady asshole guy'_ as a so believed creative term by Robb and Jon and soon it was turned to only the initials because it was a huge bother to say the three words every time, which was Theon's doing of course. Mag became such a normal name that everyone even her mother used it.

Her father leaned in behind her brother's back and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Happy nameday dear."

Sometimes Arya really appreciated Ned's seriousness; he was the only sane person in the entire family most of the time. "Thank you father, thank you."

By the time they reached the airport, reporters already flooded the entrance, Arya barely made it in one piece with the help of the bodyguards. She did not hate the common folk's obsession about the Starks but she didn't like it either.

When she was reunited with the rest, they stood in safety waiting for the elder trio to enter the gates. She had seen her brothers less than two months ago but she couldn't help but feel as excited as the rest of the Starks to have the whole kin in the same place again. She flashed an amused smile when she saw Jon pushing the two luggage carts all by himself while typical Theon was hitting on one of the female passengers next to him and offering to take her own luggage until Robb grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to their direction with Theon yelling _'Name's Theon Greyjoy, I'm easy to locate, contact me!'_

She chuckled and practically ran to her best friend and gave him a long hug, Jon ruffled her already disastrous hair and allowed one of the bodyguards to handle the bags, Robb was in mother's arms and Theon was explaining to her younger brothers how he got laid on the flight back home.

The brothers switched to greet the rest, and when it was Robb's turn he gave her a sudden bear hug and said, "Dear little sister, brace yourself for the greatest gift you've ever had the pleasure to receive."

Arya raised an eyebrow, "Surprise me."

Robb went for his jacket pocket and took out a dozen of red printed tickets and flashed them in the air, "Only some tickets to London's greatest event in years. _The Brotherhood_ , live and in person on the biggest stage in the city." He announced, receiving gasps and chants from her other siblings.

"N-No way!" Sansa nearly had a heartattack, "The same concert that the new local band are going to play?!"

"Yes, sweet sister." Robb said proudly, wrapping his arm around Arya's shoulder, "Now who's your favorite brother, Arya?"

 _Jon,_ she thought, but she held her tongue. Arya was not pleased, not the slightest. Not with Sansa's claps and happy tears, not with Bran and Rickon's sheer excitement, not with Jon and Theon's impressed looks, and not with her mother's protests that the band was a known repulsive group and had a bad influence.

 _Gods no!_ Arya had avoided crowded places at all costs, it was dangerous. With many people around, the chances of meeting her soulmate were huge compared to normal days. She hated Pop singers and mixing with the public too much, and judging from the numerous tickets, the whole bunch was going, which was even more dangerous, all the young Starks and their friends in the same place never ended up well, never.

When it was Theon's turn, he leaned to her after a short hug, "So any updates on Maggie?" Was his way of greeting.

"Don't."

"It's been a whole year-"

"Just. Don't."

"Absolutely nothing," Bran stuck his nose in the subject again, as everyone walked outside. "Mag was not found and our sister is doing her best to avoid the encounter at any cost, she doesn't even go anywhere but to college and kickboxing just to not meet any new people."

"Stop talking!" she shot him a glare.

He ignored her. "She doesn't even go to social media anymore, in fear of a certain rude comment or a post directed to her."

 _I'll kill him. I'll freaking kill him._

"You won't be able to avoid it forever, Ar." Jon told her.

"I certainly can!"

"No you can't! It's destiny!" Sansa added.

Arya snorted. "Enlighten me when you find your lost prince, sis." Her sister hasn't found her soulmate either yet, and it's been four years. She tried her hardest to go anywhere with as much as strangers as she can find, with hopes of finding the romantic handsome angel she always dreamed about.

"At least mine isn't an asshole like Mag!" was Sansa's best comeback.

 _If I hear that name again, I'll punch someone._ She promised herself. Her sister was a good candidate so far.

She couldn't miss the suggestive smile that Robb gave her through half the ride back. "What?!"

He eyed Jon and Theon evilly and said, "You'll love me even more now, sis. I have a friend who has a friend who knows one of the band members. And wait for it... I had granted us backstage passes and the band will sing Happy Nameday for you at the end of the concert, thoughtful Robb strikes again!"

The car exploded in loud noises, and everyone either chanted or yelled in protest and envy. Arya put her head in her hands all the way back home with nothing but pure misery.

She did not care to join the whole family downstairs as she rushed to her room and locked herself up, frustrated and angry, Arya punched and kicked at her sand punching bag so much and so hard her knuckles turned red, she was planning to continue until they bled but the door knocking stopped her.

"Fuck off Sansa! I'm not going!" Sansa was the only person in this place who actually knocked so there was no mystery there.

"But Arya! Robb bothered with all this just for you and that's how you thank him?!"

Arya paused, now that she thinks of it, Robb had really gone out of his way for this year's gift. She loved her brother to death, but she couldn't avoid seeing the obvious ambush. _This is all a set up_ , she realized, _they are all trying to forcibly make me meet Mag._

She punched harder, not liking the fact that even she herself started using that name.

Half an hour later, someone turned the knob and found the door closed, then they started knocking.

"I'm not going mother!" Catelyn was the only person who wouldn't guess that Arya had shut herself inside, an easier tell.

"Why so dear? Talk to me, what is wrong?" _I would, but you won't listen._

Another while later, she heard a kick. E _asy one, Theon._ "Stark, get your ass out here and face the situation like a man!"

She ignored him.

"At this rate you'll never get laid, ha, I warned you! Don't come back twenty years later to wise Theon with fifty cats and suppressed sexual desires asking for advice."

 _Ass._

There was a loud _thump_ a while later. Frustrated Robb.

"Arya, come on. You're not gonna do this to me, are you? You know how fucked I'll be if Beric Dondarrion starts singing and you're not there to look like you're having the time of your life and squealing like a pig? Severely fucked, that's what. Have mercy on me. There is no going back sister."

And when Arya heard steps near hear room that stopped at the door, she headed there immediately and opened it. It was either Jon or her father, she knew her family too well and her half brother resembled Ned the most with his calmness and patience.

Jon eyed her and she looked away, giving him enough space to come inside. He sat on her bed and patted on an empty place beside him for her to sit.

"I found my soulmate."

Arya stared at him, wide eyed; she had not expected him to say that. That was one hell of a way to start a pep talk, cheers to Jon for bringing something new to the table.

"She is amazing Arya, amazing." A smile escaped his lips unwillingly. "We met last week, and even though I saw her once, her face won't escape my mind."

"She told you the words?" Arya looked at him, eyes still large. "She actually told you-"

" _'You know nothing Jon Snow'_ yup, she said those exact words."

"How? What does Snow even mean?!" It was a mystery to everyone, Jon's tattoo on his bicep made absolute no sense and everyone grew to lose hope because it was such an unusual phrase.

"It was not coincidental, not at all really. Theon bet on his Jeep that he could get me to meet her in a week, and Robb told him to bring it on, offering his own car. The idiot actually printed a _'My name is Jon Snow'_ T-shirt and made me wear it for a whole week. It was in a bar; I was so into the soccer game and I was praying for Neymar to miss." He chuckled, "So this redheaded chick beside me laughs and tells me the words. I was wonderstruck and kept gaping at her like a retard, especially after the fucker landed a legendary goal at that very moment."

Arya couldn't help but smile as widely as he did, as he went on with his tale. "She told me to stop staring at her like a creep and turned to the bar, and I grabbed her elbow and said _'I do know some things, I know that you are my soulmate'_ the look Arya, you should've seen the look on her face, priceless.

"She looked at me like I was Aegon Targaryen himself, bursting in the room, riding on the back of a dragon and juggling lemon pies. She escaped and didn't tell me her name but I'll find her. I have a sense of longing and a pull for that girl that I can't comprehend or express in words."

Both Arya and her brother laughed, him from the embarrassing memory and Arya from amazement. That was all the pep talk she needed in the world, Jon kissed her forehead and walked out of the room without saying another word.

Jon's words were so original and they sure left a mark on his soulmate, that redheaded girl was godsdamn lucky, Jon would make the perfect partner for any woman, he was handsome and girls drooled over him whenever he went, he was a gentleman and a famous figure, educated and witty. That was Jon for you.

So Snow didn't have any magical meaning after all, as Sansa predicted. It was just a joke Theon had pulled to save his precious vehicle.

She heard steps and Jon came back, "Ahm, sis, I'm not a snitch but there's another bet going on. Let's just say Robb is pretty desperate to get his car back."

She groaned. _I knew it._ "Bloody of course." But she did not let that startle her resolve. Arya made her way to Sansa's room and opened the door, not slightly surprised to see her whole clique there, Margery, Miranda, and of course, arguably the newest addition to her diverse siblings, Myrcella.

"Sans, I'm changing. You'll be in charge of my makeup; smoky eyes, no extreme shit, no blushes, no red lipstick. Your leather boots are mine from today and on." Arya left them and heard the girls screaming with joy. The boots were already in her room, they went mysteriously missing ever since Sansa bought them.

She dressed in all leather, tight pants and boots, all except her silk white top underneath the black jacket. She curled the ends of her chin length brown hair and left the door opened so when Sansa came in, she already had the kit in her hand with her game face on. Her Smokey black eyes were perfection and the skin colored lipstick just completed the whole thing and made Arya look so much in character but eye catchy at the same time.

Sansa looked at her reflection, "You're beautiful Arya, when you actually give a shiz about your looks."

"You're the beautiful one, Sans." She said it with a sigh, not in any way she meant is as a compliment.

By the time they were downstairs the group was gathered in the kitchen, the cook Gage was barely keeping up with the snack plates going full and coming back empty in seconds.

Robb gasped when he saw her and jumped for her embrace, "That's my sister!"

Arya punched him away and took a seat next to Aegon, who was in deep conversation with Jon about the importance of solar plates; Arya did not want to know.

"Wow Jon, you're a natural," Grenn said, impressed.

Theon shook his head, mouth full. "Nah, I'm pretty sure my emotional speech was the turning point."

Arya narrowed her eyes in irony, "Shut up."

"Fifty cats Arya, fifty cats."

"Fuck off!"

"You look good Arya," Pyp told her with a nod, "Mag will be mind blown."

Arya closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she had promised. Walking to the wall, she located her aunt Lysa's photograph and punched it, the frame dropping to the floor, broken.

"Arya! Stop venting your frustrations on your poor aunt's photographs!" her mother yelled from the hall, recognizing that crash voice pretty well.

"You hate her too, don't convince me otherwise!"

"You don't choose your family, okay!"

 _I wish I could_ , she thought. The rest didn't bat an eye at the usual behavior and took the hint and stopped mentioning the godsforsaken name. When Hot Pie, Lommy, and Mycah arrived the gang was assembled and they were ready to take their leave.

One hour through the whole concert Arya had already lost contact with the rest of the group and was already drunk, likely high, and dancing like there was no morrow. The band proved better than expected and Arya's anxiety evaporated. Jon made her realize that the whole soulmate shit was unavoidable, and much to her dismay, it was destiny, one way or another Mag will appear and if it was today, the morrow, a fortnight later, or years, she did not seem to mind anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Maggish Hotness**

Arya did not sense a hand on her shoulder until her feet lost their balance and her body got dragged away. She looked up and saw her sister Sansa, her lips were moving quickly but Arya did not hear a word the redhead was saying.

She was flustered, Arya saw. And talking in a speed of a hundred miles per hour, she couldn't work out what she was saying, especially with the sight of two chipmunks inside Sansa's mouth and talking at the same time in a squeaky voice, the sight made her laugh hysterically.

"For gods' sake, Arya!" Her hearing sense came back when Sansa stopped, "Are you fudjing drunk?!"

Arya laughed louder, pointing both thumbs at herself. "Me? Drunk? Never."

"Gods!" Sansa continued, leading her sister to the backstage area in almost a cute fury. "Fudjing fudj! You're going to ruin everything for me again!"

Arya watched, wonderstruck, as a guy who was crowd surfing yelled and hundreds of cockroaches escaped his mouth; suddenly the man himself turned into one giant cockroach and started attacking the innocent people. Arya squinted and rubbed her eyes, suddenly regretting taking those candy-like pills from that suspicious creepy boy earlier.

"You're starting to piss me off!" Arya yelled at her sister, who was beginning to struggle on her hold of her.

"Shut the hells up! I will not let you screw up this one!" Sansa was naggier than usual, and even more annoying. "I've been looking forward to meet the band since ages!"

Arya giggled, noticing how Sansa was struggling to overpower her, with half of the booze and drugs of the party in her system, but struggling nonetheless. "They're a bunch of old guys, you sad little idiot!"

"Have you even been listening to what I said back home?"

"Nope."

"Ugh!" they reached the backstage barrier and passed through the guards, and Arya began to see familiar humans in what seemed like ages, "Listen, I told you about a local band that played at my prom three years ago, which I'm obsessing about ever since. Well, The Brotherhood gave them a chance to sing at the end of the concert and my soulmate _has_ to be one of them, and don't convince me it's not fate. Don't. Screw. This. Up."

 _Fool, a desperate, delusional, pretty fool._

"Aye aye, captain!" Arya held both hands in the air. Then her jaw dropped when Robb walked toward her, cockroaches flooding from his mouth and nose, flowing on his shoulders. She started brushing at his jacket violently when he reached her, "You little shits! Stay away from my brother!"

The shocked Robb shook Arya from the shoulders, as if to wake her up from a coma, "Arya! What the _fuck_ are you on?!"

Arya was following Theon's index finger with her eyes excitedly, as he waved it back on forth, which was getting bit off by a hissing wild snake. "Yup, confirmed, she's high as fuck."

"But he gave me candy! How could you say no to that?!"

"You ate the fucking candy?!" Robb almost yelled, his face turning red as his own famous hair.

"Yup, all four!"

"Seven hells." Bran exclaimed from the background.

Sansa was close to tears, "She has to! She fudjing has to! Every single time!"

"Arya, parent rule number one, never fucking accept candy from strangers!" Theon looked annoyed as well.

She spotted Hot Pie and Lommy in the background with the same state as her, who were being held by Margery and Myrcella. Her eyes shone and she walked toward them, her siblings on her heels and panicking, she cupped Hot Pie's face.

They laughed like lunatics, and the fat boy said, "You too?!"

"Yuss! Oh gods man! I fucking love you! You're like my only legit friend!"

"Hey!" Mycah yelled behind him, "I'm right here!"

"Fuck off, ginger." She waved the sober boy away.

Lommy eyed her like she was an alien, "Did you see those squirrels too?"

"No, mine were cockroaches." All three of them nodded in fascination.

She was forced to turn around, and Robb was on her face. "Arya, snap out of it!"

She did the only thing that came on her mind, she laughed, approvingly and joyfully for ruining their plans and making them taste some of the frustration they give her on almost daily bases, and it was almost too sweet. Then reality hit her pretty hard across the face, not figuratively speaking, at that matter.

Her body froze and Arya opened her mouth as far as she can, a loud gasp escaping her lips, she breathed heavily after the water spilled on her shoulders and onto the floor, dripping and silencing everyone in that small backstage room. "FUCK! FUCK! SEVEN GODDAMN HELLS!" She cursed loudly, she heard a clatter of a bucket and a handle, turned around, and saw Theon with a smirk on his face, holding the bucket and what was left of the frozen water in it.

"Holy shit, Theon!" Robb broke the silence, as surprised as she was.

Theon ignored him, "So? You awake now party girl?"

She nodded way too many times, then sat on the chair that Mycah pulled for her. She shook violently and allowed her brain to start functioning again. Sansa came rushing in with towels and immediately starting drying her clothes and hair, yelling her thanks to the old gods and new that she used waterproof makeup on her sister.

Her brain was recovering and in less than ten seconds all her memories kicked in and life started making sense again, she hugged the towel and tried to stop shivering, glaring at Theon so nastily she was sure he'll need a shower after it. "I'm going to cut your dick off, sweet brother, sleep with one eye open for like the rest of your life."

Theon did not dare to meet her eye, and turned around, whistling innocently.

Robb was walking back and forth, glancing at Sansa and urging her to hurry, "Your song is in ten minutes, okay? Just please hold in for like one minute, for dad's sake, Arya."

She nodded, knowing all too well how journalists would dirty her father's image with the slightest mistake a Stark dares to make publicly, "Where's Jon?"

"He left after half an hour, he's going to the Night's Base to meet Mormont since they came back tonight." It took a long painful time for Arya to remember that Mormont was Jon's commander during his four years in the military, too much names, too tired was her brain.

Hot Pie stepped in and held a piece of bread in front of Arya, "I heard bread helps."

She groaned, "Piss off, Pie."

She glanced up and saw a bulky figure behind her friend; her vision was barely getting back on shape when she saw a familiar face, with an eyepatch and a cold blue eye with striking red-gold hair. "Who the heck are you?" he asked, confused.

"I'm Hot Pie!" Hot Pie said at once.

"Aye, and good for you." He smiled, "It's not everyday that I meet a lad with such a tasty name, and what would your friends be called, Mutton Chop and Squab?" he pointed at Arya and Mycah, probably recognizing Sansa from her famous face.

Sansa was about to speak and kiss ass, but Arya cleared her throat, "Mister Dondarrion, I'm Arya, Arya Stark."

Beric looked flabbergasted, "Pardon me, my lady, you just didn't struck me as a..." he struggled to find the right words and Robb saved him from the trouble.

"Sir, we are really sorry for the inconvenience. We ran into... ahhm, some technical problems."

"Major technical problems." Theon added.

One look at Arya and Beric understood, he let out a light laugh, "It's fine lads, I here take that our young lady doesn't have the freedom most people have, having fun once in a lifetime won't hurt anyone." - _Oh only if you knew_ – "Go wash your face with some cold water, it helps."

Theon flashed a smug smile, "That's already been taken care of."

She glared at him and he looked away instantly.

Beric didn't lose another instant, he held his strong hand to her and smiled, "Shall we go and be done with this shit, my lady?"

Arya took his hand with a forced smile of her own, "Oh now you're speaking my language."

Sansa mouthed _'Be good'_ and Robb and Bran stared at her worriedly, fearing of the consequences of her failing and bringing shame to the family, Theon held his thumps in encouragement and the rest went back to the buffet.

No one recognized her before she was introduced by Dondarrion, something that would never happen if Sansa was standing in her place. The crowd cheered at the first mention of the name 'Stark' and sang insanely with the band. Arya smiled and swayed side to side, laughing and giggling in such a perfect believable way that surprised even herself, at the end of the song the crowd's screams almost deafened her all over again but she forced herself to hug each band member and shout 'I love you Brotherhood!' as loud as she can on the mic, then they all rushed to the backstage, with the men following her and introducing the rookie band who was going to be the closure of the party, the 'BB5'.

Robb kissed her on her cheek and said his own nameday wishes and Theon patted her shoulder, Bran was not in sight and Sansa almost had her soul washed out of her body. When Arya looked around she understood. All the screams she was hearing backstage weren't for her, but for the BB5 band that just arrived, and Sansa had realized once more that her desperate attempts to find her perfect soulmate had come to a yet another miserable failure.

Arya removed her fake expression and replaced it with her usual angry one immediately, flexing her jaw from too much smiling, the water was starting to lose its effect and Arya found the world spinning again around her, she did not hear Beric telling her she did great, and she did not respond to Mycah's congratulation, and she did not see the man that she bumped into right in front of her, whatever he was holding crashed on the floor but she did not pay mind to it, and she didn't find it in her to turn around and apologize, hells, she did what she had to do and that seemed too much of a bother. Arya Stark had it with being a lady for almost four whole minutes on that stage, she saw another candy wrapper and her mouth began to water.

"Fucking M'lady doesn't even bother to look where she's going!"

The First Men invaded Westerous, Aegon the Conqueror burned Harrenhal to ashes, Wildlings invaded the Wall, Blackwater Bay exploded in wildfire, all the while Arya stopped by her heels and took the longest breath she dared to take. His voice was gruff and angry and Arya gathered all the courage and foolishness she can muster to force her head to turn, there he was, standing with an intense scowl on his face and murdering her with his deep blue eyes.

Arya took another long breath, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. Legitimate color emerged before her for the first time. What stood in front of Arya in a big bulky frame was perfection, an angry perfection, but perfection nonetheless. His short messy black hair was blocking her from seeing the eyes entirely in which she was thankful for, it was shocking enough as it is.

He locked his arms across his chest, and she saw the most defined biceps ever made by the gods, old and new, and she thanked them all, one by one."Take a fucking picture, it will last longer."

Arya blinked 10 times per second, processing what he just said with his godly voice again. She bit her thumb to get her senses and sanity back to where they belong. Her brain responded and started screaming.

 _Make an impact!_

 _Make a fucking impact!_

She forced her legs to walk where he was, and Arya picked up his electronic keyboard from the floor and checked if anything was broken, and sighed when she realized there wasn't. She looked up to him, her heart racing all the while, and saw his face up close, and racing became NASA rocket launching. She gulped. _Holy fucking Maggish hotness!_ "I'm sorry." She said very fast, in almost a whisper, and practically pushed the keyboard on him and took her leave. She didn't know where she went, but the little Stark started running when she was positive she was out of the scene.

 _Holy gods. Old, Seven, Many Faced, R'hllor, the Drowned one, even Mother Rhoyne, whoever she is!_ Arya found a rusty red door at the back, opened it without hesitation, and stepped into another world, realizing she was in the back alley, the music was almost mute and she was thankful.

Arya slid against the cold brick wall and sat on the floor, releasing a very long sigh and trying to stop her knees and hands from shaking. And then it hit her, harder than Theon's frozen water. _Mag wasn't the only asshole!_ She realized, mortified. She covered her face with her hands, Arya made the worst impact possible. But he was an asshole all the same and whatever came out of his mouth was blunt and cruel, but she deserved it. She ruined this night and almost destroyed her family's reputation. And went against all the manners she was taught as a lady her whole life.

As she was told, Arya could not comprehend what she saw in words. It was more than true. This man was so out of this world it was absolute nonsense. She dug in her pocket and located her phone. _I have to talk to someone_ , she told herself, desperate and admitting defeat.

She started looking up contacts and paused, realization kicking in; Arya had no female friends, not even one. Sansa wasn't an option and the things Arya wanted to let out were the most feminine nonsense she ever had the courage to let go. _This can't be true_ , she wondered, _not even one godsdamn friend with boobs?!_

She groaned, the only friends she had were already at the concert, or friends with of her other siblings, or people from Black and White's, Sansa's friends were not an option. Never. She fingered her phone so hard the screen was threatening to crack and dialed the first number that came to her mind, despairing.

She reached Jon's voice mail and cursed loudly, remembering that he was on the road to the Night's Base, but she did not care. She sent a text message all in caps: _'FUKING PICK UP. NAW. SOS._ _MAG IS FOUND. I REPEAT. MAG. IS. FOUND.'_

Arya was relieved when she got a call back almost instantly. Jon talked really fast. "Arya, I'm in the middle of the Kingsroad, and you're not supposed to stop driving. Make it quick."

Arya agreed to him, but did not intend in any way to make it quick. She sniffed. "Jon, why didn't you warn me? That was a fucking nightmare."

"What?" Jon was saying, then she heard loud car horns on the line and her brother yelling ' _Fuck you too!_ ' then he went back to her. "Sis, are you crying?"

"No. But I want to?" her voice cracked, "He was such a perfection it scared the shit outta me."

"Don't tell me you stared at him like a retard too?"

She winced at the memory. "I did. I completely did."

He groaned, "Did he sound that rude or was he playing?"

"Nope. It was way harsher than we all expected, I think I'm on his dark list by now."

"What did you do to trigger him?"

"I was a total bitch that's what." she admitted, "His insults were so on point it's not even funny."

"Well, calm down a bit. He probably realized you're his soulmate too by now."

For an instance she thought her brother was talking foreign, then her brain stopped working again. "SHIT!"

"What?"

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"What? What? What?!"

"Jon!" Arya grabbed the phone with both hands, panicking. "My first words were 'I'm sorry', like _fuck me_ he must hear that ten times a day!"

Jon sighed in disappointment; even Arya herself expected that she'd say something else. "Well you stared at him strangely so he must've noticed one way or another."

"No man, you don't understand!" she was angry at this point, furious at herself. "He is a fucking walking vision, girls must be gaping at him all time, and with all kinds, ages, shapes and sizes!"

"Well shit."

"Jon, You gotta help me, bro. I've never been this confused before. I mean I hate him even more now, he proved more asshollish in person but the perfection makes me dizzy."

"Go." Was what he said immediately, "Confront him, go now before it's too late. I don't want you to feel lost and wandering aimlessly like me, it feels like shit." He was going to continue but something stopped him, "Okay sis, I really gotta go now I think that's a – FUCK! – there's a police car behind me, talk later, Jon out."

Arya heard the line cut in her ear and she buried her head in her thighs. That proved a really bad experiment for her already emotionally dysfunctional heart, so going back there was a huge challenge as it is, her thoughts kept going back to the same dark angry figure and she couldn't help but get goosebumps _._

She heard loud screams and the red door burst open beside her, a familiar auburn hair appeared and Robb seemed in a rush, Theon right by his heels. "SHIT!" her brother yelled, "I'll freaking murder you, Greyjoy!"

"It's not my fault!"

"Then who's fault was it?! The girl you were groping or her bulky angry boyfriend?!"

 _Bulky angry boyfriend?_ Arya did not like the thought of seeing a certain someone again.

"We're dead, we're fucking dead!" Robb announced in frustration.

Theon turned around, equally nervous, and saw Arya and his eyes lit up. "Arya! Shit, thank the gods, we might have a chance to survive!"

Arya didn't and wasn't interested in knowing what was going on. "Piss off."

"Sister, you can't hold a grudge forever! It's in the past now!"

"It was half an hour ago, deepshit!"

"Guys, guys-" Robb was calling them silently, and then the door opened for a second time.

Four men came outside, a very dark aura surrounding them, one bigger than the others and Arya was very impressed by what she was seeing. The first one to make an entrance had to be the biggest man Arya had ever seen. He was a good one foot taller than Theon, a massive body and huge in every aspect, this man screamed dangerous and even his way of breathing was intimidating, he towered over him and her adoptive brother forgot how to humanly function for a while there, she saw. The other three were equally manly but were obviously falling behind their Alpha.

Arya was concentrating on the man's face, it was too familiar, he was a mix of the Free Cities scent and a brush of the Grass Sea, a scar on one eyebrow and dark monstrous eyes. She could swear she had seen him somewhere but she couldn't get her fingers on it yet, not with all the drugs and alcohol flowing in her.

"You. My Woman. Die." Alpha man said with a very nasty accent.

"Hey hey I'm not your woman-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Robb smacked Theon on the head. Arya stood up and walked toward them.

The man smiled, and everything about it radiated death. Theon just stepped back, in apparent fear.

"Couldn't you pick a bigger man Theon, by any chance?" she whispered to him, sensing the intensity of the situation.

"You funny."

Theon laughed very nervously, "I-I know right I get that a lot."

"Want see joke by I?"

Theon held his index figure. " _Me_ ,"

"Shut up!" Robb and his sister yelled together.

He snickered, "Yes yes me. My hand, your neck. Very funny for _me_."

"Oh gods." They murmured together.

Arya couldn't help but stare, longer than necessary and he eventually turned to her, and she saw the straight face for the same time. And her brain went through a rough start up again.

Who was before her was the UFC Champion for four consecutive years, Khal Drogo, Arya was a big fan but didn't recognize him with the casual outfit and long hair, and also... she was high as fuck!

The door squeaked open for a third time and Arya saw Sansa walking in with a girl that had the strangest hair color she'd seen in a long time, almost similar to one of her brother's friends, Aegon.

The girl sensed the situation with a lot of familiarity, and rushed to the Khal's side, hugging his arm which was thrice the size of one of hers. And told him something in a language that didn't ring any bell to Arya.

The boys, Margery, and Myrcella soon followed, nobody seemed to know Miranda's whereabouts, or even care for that matter. Arya saw a perfect chance to escape, she turned to make a signal for Robb but her heart skipped a beat when Theon winked at the girl, and Khal saw.

 _Gods have mercy._

"RUN!" She yelled as hard as she can when she saw the look in his eyes. They did not need to be told twice, the whole confrontation turned into a wild chase pretty quick, three blocks ahead she was considering the idea of throwing Theon at them to save the rest, but she forgot it once Bran declared that they successfully lost them. A part of her knew it was out of pity.

Theon gasped for air, but he still had the decency to smile. "Completely worth it!"

Everyone glared at him, but Arya didn't. She went over to him very calmly and smiled, using her best most powerful kick to hit him under the belt, he cried in pain and fell on the floor, and Arya felt a very nice sense of satisfaction wash over her.

For once Sansa wasn't complaining, instead she was busy calling Jory, telling him to pick them up. She had her spirit wiped away and did not seem to like to have it back anytime soon.

Hot Pie was on the floor, passed out and rarely quiet. The girls were on the floor also, leaning on the wall with the same nonexistent spirit as her sister. Robb sighed and rubbed his face, realizing that yet another night out had gone into a disaster, he grabbed her shoulder and looked hopeful, he did not need to open his mouth so Arya would understand what he wanted.

She patted on his back in an equal manner, "It's okay big brother, you can have my old car." She produced her key chain from her pocket and dropped it in his palm. "I heard father got me a new Jeep for the nameday, so..."

"Shit," he cursed miserably, "Are you sure?"

She did not wait to answer. "Nope. Didn't find him. Mag is still MIA. "


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: The Bartender**

She was sitting very comfortably on the leather chair in the very familiar room like she belonged there, shooting daggers at the man across the desk, and it wasn't any far from the truth; Arya had begun to believe she spent more time in the principal's office than the actual campus. She wasn't afraid, not less worried. She was used to this more than she should.

"My lady..." the old man began with a cough, muttering something inhuman with his aging breath, "Uh, I don't want to seem ahhmm... unfair, but this is your fourth time this month, my lady-"

"Gods," she rolled her eyes, "Drop the courtesies; I'm your godsdamn student."

That took him aback, "Lady Stark..."

"Stark would be fine!"

" _Miss_ Stark," he said, reaching a settlement and Arya didn't care to correct him. "Bolton will sure get expended after this, but someone should take responsibility for the other part of the fight as well."

Arya scuffed at that, it wasn't an actual fight. It was a peaceful morning at Aegon Hill State college, with Mycah telling her about his new job as a bartender at the Flee Bottom Club that Sansa's clique and normally the rest go to at weekends. The ginger boy was excited, especially that it was a very popular place with great music and manageable drinks, Arya never bothered to go there before, not with the sight of her brothers when they come back after a night there, drunk, tired, and occasionally bruised, she knew they had their fun, and their fun included things Arya was better without.

She was giving it an actual thought to go now that her childhood friend will start working there. He was about to tell her something that really excited him, thinking that it will interest her as well but Bolton's curses and his _'That's the best that a boy like you can get'_ remark interrupted them. The boy ignored him, and Stark tried her best to do too, but when he remarked about him being a pathetic butcher's boy that was enough to awaken the flames inside. Ramsay was one of her sister's poor chosen boyfriends, until he almost violated Sansa two years ago, and that made the mere sight of him, and even the way he licks his lips and breathes air enrage her. Arya made good use of those angry emotions and did not think twice before kicking him in the groin. He was about to hit her backnot caring that she was a girl, but when he fell, she kicked again and again and pleasurably again, until he cried out for his friends demanding help.

"C'mon man, it was just a reflex." _A reflex against retardism_. "He just had a scratch on him."

Old man hummed some more, "T-the boy got hospitalized."

"Wuss," Arya muttered, the stinking principal who reeked of medicine and oldness chose to not hear it. She was forgetting that she became more powerful with all the extra hours with H'ghar of late, which made her smirk at the improvement. "Look Pycelle, we both know he deserved it, so what are we even doing here?"

Pycelle adjusted his glasses, he wasn't exactly a man to respect, especially that her father knew him and never talked positive regarding the man, but he was prime minister, and she was his daughter, so respect and fear were granted. "We don't want such an event reoccurring here again, but no worries, Miss Stark, ahhm... there were no witnesses-" _More like no one dared to speak of what they saw_ , "- and Mycah admitted that he was the initial cause of this, so you will not be involved in it whatsoever."

Arya held her hand to quiet him, "Wait hold up, why is Mycah's name being brought here?"

Pycelle bowed his head, "My lady-"

"Stark!"

"- The boy will come forward, there's nothing I could do regarding this matter-"

"Nonsense!" she yelled, "We both know I'm the one who did this!"

He hummed uncomfortably, "Ah, your father-"

"Don't bring my father into this!" Arya would not consent to such injustice; this treatment was one of the things she hated most about being a lady. "Just expend me and that's it."

He wiped the sweat from his brow. "I can't do that, you're Lord Eddard's daughter, all we can do is pray for the Mother to grant Ramsay wellbeing."

"You're a shit principal!" she groaned, heading for the door, and before stepping out, she did not forget to say: "And those are not my gods!"

Arya never believed in the Seven, the Old Gods were more close to Arya when she was a child, yet she was more interested in Him of The Many Faces now, but she never thought to mention that to her parents. When Arya slammed the door, she saw Mycah sitting at the reception, waiting, his parents on each side and she resisted the urge to shout. He stood at the sight of her and got pulled aside so she could to talk some sense into him. "You are _not_ doing this!"

"It is my fault from the first place, okay?!" he said, defenseless. "I'm a butcher's boy, he was bullying _me_."

"No!" she did not believe what she was hearing, "There's nothing wrong with your dad being a godsdamn butcher! A lot of people like meat, _I_ like meat!"

"If I did stand up for myself this wouldn't have happened," he resumed talking nonsense, "It's my fault."

"Bullshit! You're not going to take the blame for me!"

"Well, someone has." His tone made her silent for a moment, she started hating being born into the world as Arya Stark all over again. This always happened, and once again, she could not do anything about it.

He saw her despair and sighed, "It's nothing man, really, I'll just get expended for a few days, and apparently a month being grounded at home."

The way he said it wasn't just nothing at all."What about your fucking job?! You said you're gonna pay the second payment for your car with the money!"

He shrugged, but his faked carelessness did not convince her. "I'll just get a bike, I guess."

"Fuck off!" she scolded him, "I can't just let you do this, I'll pay for it."

"No way!" he immediately got angry. "Arya, I don't want your money. It's not something so casual to normal people, okay? I'm sorry but it's just too embarrassing."

 _Normal people_. Something that she will never be, no matter how much she wished. She wanted to punch him, yell at him, buy him a better car and shove the keys on his freckled face, but instead she offered the first idea that crossed her mind. "I'll cover for you."

"What?!"

"At work, I'll work in your stead." She grabbed his shoulders, "If you can pull it off, I sure as hells can as well, one month, say no and I'll kickbox the shit outta your ass."

He shivered, the threat always working on him. "Arya, you can't, you're-"

"Don't fucking tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm no Sansa, nobody recognizes me, even if they did from the concert, that was two fucking months ago and without makeup I look a different being."

He narrowed his eyes. "You do never look or act like a lady..."

"Thank you, that's really sweet." She meant it.

"Alright, but-"

"No fucking buts, now off you go... go kiss as much ass as you want with Pycelle, but there's no going back now." She practically pushed him inside the office, and walked to where his parents were, and made sure to apologize as much as she can, even when they there convinced that it was entirely Mycah's fault. She told them it was her doing, and the guy was taking the blame, but they were stubbornly sticking to their version of the story. To her, the whole King's Landing of Britain was hypnotized so she did not even try to mention the job, surely enough they will protest, so she left that part out.

When she was back at the mansion later that day, Arya headed directly to her father's study, she waited by the door when mister Rodrick told her he was in a meeting. She stood there waiting impatiently. When the door clicked open, she hurried inside almost too quickly and Arya almost missed the minister who was standing directly next to her, she stopped and looked down, "I'm sorry my lord, I almost didn't see you there." Stark muttered silent curses when she realized it probably came out as an insult.

Tyrion Lannister snickered at her reaction, "Oh I get that a lot, my lady. What can I say? I'm a sneaky little man."

She smiled at that. _The only digestible Lannister_ , she reflected. "Did something happen at the Red Keep?" One look at his mismatched eyes and she can tell.

He raised his eyebrows and gave an annoyed shake of his head, "The repulsive kid again, he molested two girls earlier today."

They both sighed in irritation at the first mention of Prince Joffrey, the greatest most infamous dick of his time, and also another one of her sister's poor chosen boyfriends. Not after she got her tattoo, thank the gods. "Again?"

"I had my fault in this one," the small man said tiredly, "I thought a visit to a whorehouse will make a man of him, since no real female gave interest in the boy. I couldn't have been more wrong, even a prick can't use _his_ right."

She scuffed in amusement, "You sent your own nephew to a whorehouse?"

He put his hands in the air, "Even a man like me can have retarded ideas."

"Another failed experiment..."

"Tell me about it," Tyrion flashed an amused smile, ugly, but sweet all the same. "I remember one of your failed attempts as well, my lady. Lion's Tooth, if I recall?"

They both laughed at that. It was on one of the Prince's 'dates' with Sansa, on a hunting trip with his new shotgun he was fund of, when Arya unleashed her wrath at him. Her sister's dog went victim in that one. Poor Lady took the blame as well back then. _Well, someone has to,_ Mycah's words came back to her, and the memory turned bitter. Arya made a mental note to check on Nymeria at the pet care later this week, where she had her Wolf-Dog hidden for years, as the minister said his goodbyes.

When she entered the study, she found her father on his throne of a desk, again drowned in his work. Piles and piles of papers stacked in front him, waiting to be taken care of. Men were waiting outside as well but she took the opportunity, knowing that it's her only chance to talk to him tonight. She sat down nervously when he motioned for her. Arya recalled and told him about today's incidents, slowly and with every detail, trying her hardest not to swear every time she mentioned Pycelle, and her father patiently listened, not reflecting his reaction on his expressions.

"That's a noble thing to do, Arya. I'm proud you went this far with it." Her father's calm words were a relief, "But you know how difficult that would be for you."

 _For_ me _, you mean._ "No one will recognize me."

"It's not about that-"

"It is. We both know better." Arya softened her voice the moment she knew it sounded too rude.

He gave her a stern look, but he let it pass. "A normal job will not be so bad," _he says 'normal' like it's something alien to us,_ she thought, but kept her mouth shut. "You'll gain experience, and that would be useful, if you took advantage of that."

She was staring at him hopefully as he voiced his thoughts aloud, almost giving him the puppy eyes, even though she knew _that_ never worked on Ned.

A couple more wise loud thoughts and Father approved, "Alright, as you will, you have my permission. Though Tom will be there with you."

"But Fatheeer-"

"He will be disguised as a normal costumer, watching you. You have one chance, screw it up and I'll make you quit."

She nodded thankfully; she came here ready for straight rejection, and a plan to go there behind his back if he dismissed the idea. But Ned probably saw it coming and thought better of it. He knew his daughter too well.

"Be careful then."

She circled his desk and went to give him a hug, "Thanks, father."

Ned hugged her back; she felt the work draining him of his energy. "I have high hopes for you. Someday, _someday_ , you will marry a great lord and rule his mansion, and your children will be lords and ladies and, yes, perhaps even a minister."

"Nope," Arya smiled, kissing him on the brow, "That's not me."

He sighed, and let her head for the door.

She held the knob, and then turned around for another difficult request. "Please don't tell mother."

He looked at her, amused, in his own calm way. "You know I can't do that." Sometimes Arya forgot that even lord Prime Minister Eddard Stark, head of The North company lines, most feared man in Britain was whipped to the bone. Cause: Catelyn Stark.

She left him with his work, and headed up to her room. Swift as a deer, quiet as a shadow, to escape her mother's watchful eyes. When she saw the endless amounts of posters in her room of a _certain_ local band, she rolled her eyes, hating the sight of them, but needy of it at the same time. _When did they manage to cover all the walls?! She_ asked herself, frustrated. Even her punching bag had the crumbled face of a _certain_ keyboard player pinned on her range. It was great for letting out frustration, she had to admit that.

Her wardrobe proved entirely useless. She grabbed her boots and headed for the opposite wind, and opened Sansa's room. It was beaming with Taylor Swift singing, _'On a Wednesday ~ in a café ~ I watched it begin again ~'_ on the speakers and Arya was about to gag. "What do bartenders wear?"

Margery was amidst changing her top, a flash of her _'You are pretty'_ soulmate tattoo under her boob, when she took a glance at Arya's clothes, she said: "Not this."

Arya gave her an expected _'Fuck off'_ and watched the rest changing and showing their perfect lean, but weak bodies, whilst Arya had a slim, yet a muscular figure. "Where are you going?"

Miranda was the first one to finish, "Flee Bottom's."

 _Fucking great._ "Hey, I thought you stopped going since the last fail."

They all glared at her, Sansa walked out of the bathroom with a silk red dress and full makeup state saying, "Well, Marg convinced me to resume my pursuit, life is too short." _Commanded you to go, you mean._ "Why are you asking about bartenders?"

"For work," Arya looked around and saw that one of the three M's was missing, "Where's the blonde?"

"Went off with uncle Tyrion," her sister answered, putting on her usual jewelry set of a mocking bird broche, earrings, and ring, another desperate hint so someone would call her a bird. "What work?"

"She flew to him like a child when he mentioned that her grandfather and the Martells are arriving for a feast at the Red Keep," Tyrell muttered and everyone groaned. Arya from her dislike to the grumpy old Lannister and them from envy; Myrcella was the first one to find her soulmate, and such a perfect soulmate he was for their standard, a handsome, tall, tanned, young Dornish man, oh, and an Eastern prince as well, to top it all off.

Though Arya had her suspicions about the gang leader, Margery. She had a cunning way of diverting the conversation whenever someone mentioned her soulmate, but that did not go unnoticed to Arya, not a charming tanned prince, she concluded over the years.

"Work? Are you gonna cosplay kickbox with that hot instructor of yours?" Miranda's eyes shone.

Sansa gasped, "He's so fujging hot."

"Lucky bitch," Margery smiled at her.

Miranda agreed, "I bet your whole fury about your tattoo was because it wasn't written in third person."

"Shut the fuck up!"

Margery gave her friend a knowing look, "Of course she was, I mean, have you _seen_ him?"

"He's twice my godsdamn age!"

The whole desperate bunch had a crush on H'ghar ever since he came by at the mansion once, he was unlucky to be there at their presence, and Sansa's face was priceless when she tried her shot with him and his first words to her were: _"A girl is nothing like her sister."_ That made her happy all the same, and both Starks didn't know if he meant it as a compliment or not to this very day. The rest of the female friends followed and the gruesome chick attack threw him off, and the Lorathi never came by for private lessons ever since.

"I'm filling in for a friend." She was desperate to change the Pedophilia subject. "We're heading the same way."

Margery laughed at that, "You? A bartender? Flee Bottom will have costumers crisis after this." That earned her another natural _'Fuck off'._

Sansa was smiling, "Wait til mother hears."

"I told father so that's granted, now make yourself of some fucking use."

Miranda talked in a deep voice, trying to imitate Ned's, "Brace yourselves, lady Catelyn's lectures are coming."

"They have a special uniform, silly. Put on some makeup though. BB5 plays there."

Arya Stark froze; she felt her mouth dry and opened. BB5 was the band whom was Sansa's favorite, BB5 was the band who played at the biggest tragic event in history known as The Brotherhood concert, BB5 was the band that had the misfortune to have a very angry keyboard player, sum it all up and you get the answer to the equation, with three cursed letters; M.A.G. _That was what Mycah wanted to tell me._ "Say what?!"

"They play there all the time, ever since the concert they have even more fans, a rising band, that one."

"I-I thought you never met them since prom?!"

Sansa's eyebrows pulled together, "I said I never met them in person since prom."

"Then why go now?! After the fail?!"

Margery was the one to answer, making a _Pffffft_ sound. "And miss Edric Storm and The Bull? You high?"

The Bull. The Bull. The mere mention of him made her angry. The last time she saw him was ages ago, precisely 10 weeks, 70 days, 1680 hours. Though she was recalling the person meeting, not the creepy stalking of the band's Facebook page, YouTube videos, Instagram posts. _Stop recalling embarrassing shit!_ She told herself

"You fancy them alright." Sansa said it as a fact.

"N-No I don't." Her voice sounded too obvious for her liking.

"Don't denial shit me," Miranda said, "We all saw those posters."

"Who gave you permission to go to my room?!"

"We were on a quest to find some clothes. _That_ proved a failure." Tyrell shrugged, "Though I don't like what you did with Gendry's face, keep your violence away from that hot piece of meat."

"Stop abusing our house!"

"What Marg said." Miranda reflected, "Even if he never shows interest in girls."

She rushed without any other words downstairs, to see her mother busy with the staff. Noticing the replacement of furniture earlier, Arya grunted when she figured that Catelyn was going though _another_ one of her house makeover moods. "Just... Why?"

"Arya! You startled me." Catelyn turned around. "Where have you been – Gods be good! The corner, I said the corner! To the right! No not your right, my right! – Jeyne is visiting tomorrow."

Arya rolled her eyes. Robb's girlfriend, Jeyne Westerling, was a very sensitive matter to Catelyn. She was against the relationship from the start, hoping to match him up with one of the Freys that her mother seemed fit, but her plans failed when after one year though the relationship, Robb found out that she was his soulmate the whole time. A disgusting yet lovely pair to look at, and her mother could not disapprove anymore. They had been together for almost seven years but her mother was forever insistent to shove the family's wealth at the poor girl's face whenever she came by. She knew better but asked anyway, "Which Jeyne?"

There were two Jeynes, which was very confusing. One was Robb's girlfriend, and the other Sansa's bestfriend and the missing sibling, since she surprisingly moved to Winterfell Law College three years ago. Her mother paused, "Oh the two of them actually, the other Jeyne too." The other Jeyne didn't seem to interest her.

"Mother! You know how confusing it is when we have them together."

"It will not. We'll call one Westerling, and the other Poole."

"We always say we will, but that never works!" Poole was a member of the family so calling her by the last name was unnatural, and calling the other Westerling was too rude. So everyone basically ends up calling Jeyne, and both of them turn. Which was very annoying, people never seemed to understand the struggle.

"I'm heading out. Father will tell you." Arya didn't wait for an answer or the girls, or even Tom. She went to the garage and took off with her Jeep to her doom.

It took her ten minutes, and when Arya got down after parking, she read Mycah's text of the address and what she needed to say to the owner again. Promising herself to make it work, she pushed the conversation between her and Sansa's friends to the back of her mind to be thought over in a more convenient time and headed inside, clad in combat boots, jeans, a black tank top, and utter determination.

The moment she passed the bouncer and walked in Flee Bottom's doors, the harsh metal music stung her ears and the lights blinded her sight. Arya's senses took their time to adjust, and a longer while to find the bar and walk to it, not a single person acknowledging her existence to make way for her small frame, so she already enjoyed and welcomed the transparency.

Neon was covering the whole medium around her, in all colors Arya could imagine, it was hard to find surfaces and almost impossible to place faces but a few feet away she saw it - _him_ , a giant figure waiting for his drinks, a sleeveless leather top on him to show his perfect arms to the world.

Regardless to the fact that she saw this coming, and supposedly prepared herself very well for the encounter, the world stopped again. When Gendry Waters turned around, the bloody whole history of Westerous played rewind on her mind all over, blinding her, her stomach had a demon inside, clutching on her guts painfully and making her swallow a stubborn bile.

As if sensing a specific presence behind him, Gendry craned his neck to the side, and with a perfect aim, his gaze instantly connected with hers.

They held eye contact that was almost impossible to break, the noise and ocean of bodies suddenly not affective anymore to even distract. Turning his whole body in a swift motion on the stool, it took him only two steps to settle right in front of her, she tried to force herself to look away, but his huge blue eyes were magnetic and powerful.

He scowled, lowered his head at her, turning his neck to look at the side of her face, the whole strange movement making her nervous to the bone.

There was a flicker of recognition, a sudden movement in his irises for a split second that made them twice as dark.

"You."

Arya clutched her fist to regain focus, determined to escape the situation, and said coldly. "What?"

Skin gliding against his tempting collarbone as he adjusted his head to the other side of her face, Gendry's scowl deepened. "The creepy drunken lady."

Arya's eyes widened, and disappointment washed over her; she actually thought for a moment that he knew she was his soulmate. Hearing his rude, yet very expected words, the disappointment was replaced with anger. She ignored the pressure in her body and made herself say what she was practicing for a long time. "Do I know you?"

He straightforward glared at her, with an almost equal temper. "Oh hold on," he looked behind him and back again, "Lemme bring my keyboard so you could _destroy_ it again, maybe that will ring a bell."

Arya was about to use another one of her retardation reflexes on him. _It was just a scratch_ , _asshole_ , she wanted to say, but instead she replied with: "Nope, no bells." She practiced that as well, and felt slightly happy that her indifference was believable.

And before she knew; it turned into a long glaring competition between them, Arya was too stubborn to break eye contact, and the Bull proved to be living up to his name, not wanting to do so either.

All the while Arya could not cross out the possibility that he already recognized her as his soulmate. Jon's words were replaying on her head. _What if he did find the gaping unusual_? She thought, _what if his body also reacted strangely whenever he was around me_? He surely did not confront every girl who stared at him, even if she was rude and almost broke his instrument. He must know. Maybe he didn't hear that phrase ten times a day as she guessed.

Arya saw a girl on the corner of her eye; she bumped into him, obviously and undoubtedly on purpose, and looked up with flushed cheeks, "I'm sorry."

"Nah, I'm just too big." He told her with a grin, completely averting his attention and ignoring his soulmate.

 _She said the bloody words!_ She almost shouted, about to jump and kick the hell out of the giant breasted redhead. The way she was arching her back, and fluttering her lashes were making Arya more furious than it should. They were in an obvious flirty conversation and Aria forced herself to turn around and head to the bar, with nothing but irritation and disgust.

 _He definitely doesn't know I'm his soulmate_ , she was telling herself, still not calming down. _And I'm not about to share that fact anytime soon._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Life Is Not Fair**

 _Dunsen, Polliver, Raff the Sweetling, Ramsey, Prince Joffrey, Queen Cersei, Ros the Redhead, Alayaya, Lanna._ She placed an ice cube with a small amount of water in a cocktail glass, and turned to place it in the freezer, back Arya came and filled the mixer with gin, dry vermouth, and olive juice and waited for the mix to settle, she started liking this job more than she expected.

Yoren, the man who owned the club was very strict and refused to take her in when she came, she was inexperienced and he agreed to have Mycah not her, but Arya pulled some strings and with the help of Tom she managed to own a fake identity and the man said something to the disapproving boss that made him except her immediately without any further questions.

"So are you guys going to play tonight?"

"Soon, we gotta charge up first."

"I'm so excited you can't even imagine, I heard a lot about the band."

 _Dunsen, Polliver, Raff the Sweetling, Ramsey, Prince Joffrey, Queen Cersei, Ros the Redhead, Alayaya, Lanna._ She removed the cocktail glass from the freezer, and emptied the strain contents of the mixer into the glass, trying her hardest not to glance at the couple sitting right across the bar.

The drink was done way faster than she planned, and that was very pleasing. It was becoming easier, though it wasn't half as easy as it looked, first few days Arya only had to watch the other bartenders work and absorb, learn how to handle costumers and mix drinks. Satin, her fellow bartender was willing to teach her all the necessities; at first he made her pour wine and serve beer, exchange greetings and offer menus and specials to costumers and often had to clean up after them and wipe the spilled drinks. Mycah's borrowed recipe book, Mr. Boston: Official Bartenders Guide was her new bestfriend, she read it thrice and memorized all the recipes by heart, with sheer concentration and effort, Arya in about a few days time, was able to make three dirty Martinis, four Margaritas, a Black and Tan, two Pina Coladas, a Manhattan, a Scotch, and seven Orange Crush Shooters in less than five minutes and soon she began working full time and with no difficulties.

"Seriously, though, do you work out? I mean... those arms..."

"Yup, two hours a day seven times a week. You know what they say, you can never expect when your soulmate would show up."

 _You stupid bullheaded idiot,_ I am _your soulmate._

"I can see, it paid off alright. So no luck finding her?"

"She must be somewhere."

 _Dunsen, Polliver, Raff the Sweetling, Ramsey, Prince Joffrey, Queen Cersei, Ros the Redhead, Alayaya, Lanna._ She was enjoying the time she spent there, her siblings and their friends were often there if not all the time, occupying her and sometimes trying to distract her from work and get Arya into trouble, but she had her mind on the game and made sure to be focused all the while there, this wasn't just an impulse, she was doing this for Mycah and she would never take this too lightly, people weren't born as fortunate as Arya and she tried her hardest to take everything seriously and not mess it up. However, the only creature who was capable of killing her joy and steal her focus was the very man who was engaging in yet another flirty conversation with another female costumer.

She did what she had to do though; drop two olives in the glass, place it on a coaster, and slide it across the table with a mysterious smile. The brunette gladly noticed before it went warm, and stood up reaching for the drink and her pocket but Gendry stopped her, "Nah, I'll pay for this one."

The girl blushed all the way to her ears, "T-thanks, that's sweet of you."

"Anything for a fan," he grinned, and glanced at Arya and caught her staring. She turned away immediately, starting a new mix. "What's your name again?"

The bloody girl blushed for the tenth time through the conversation, "Bethany, my friends call me Blushy."

Gendry forced a stupid chuckle, "I can see why."

 _Dunsen, Polliver, Raff the Sweetling, Ramsey, Prince Joffrey, Queen Cersei, Ros the Redhead, Alayaya, Lanna... Blushy Bethany._ Arya didn't know why she made this black list to begin with, it started with the bloody mummer bullies at her Highschool years and on with the people she wanted to beat bloody, it was the reason she started taking self defense classes and grew to love it, though sometimes kicking their asses wasn't the only thing she wanted to do to them, oh and also, it included every single female who ever made a move on Gendry Waters at her presence. _Idiot girl!_ She told herself all over again, _a stupid bullheaded_ _fuckboy, that's all he is._ He could flirt with all the women he wanted, it's nothing to her. But one peek at the guy and Arya felt her blood rushing again, in anger, frustration, and weirder things she couldn't even admit to herself.

Mag tabbed on the table, with an oblivious smile. "One Mojito."

She glared at him, somehow he picked up that Arya had the hardest time pulling this drink during the two weeks she's been here. The guy doesn't just goad her at daily bases, flirt with girls in front of her, make her feel uncomfortable just by his near presence, but he also liked to order the hardest mixes just to anger her.

She opened a beer bottle and placed it in front of him with narrowed eyes, "Worst bartender ever," he commented, drinking anyway, "No tips for you."

Arya did her best to hold back her _'Fuck off'_ comeback, she didn't trust him enough not to snitch on her boss. And she was already under the watchful eyes of Yoren all the time. She resumed to make a Blanco Tequila for another costumer.

He leaned in and tried talking in a whisper, but it came out loud anyway. "So is this one of those 'trying to live a normal life' thing? You know, an innocent princess by day and a grumpy bartender at night?"

She started the mixer, and talked through gritted teeth. "I'm not a godsdamn princess."

"Oh a lady, a _lady_ , excuse my ignorance, your ladyship."

"I'm not that either!" she hoped the sounds muffled her half scream.

"I might be ignorant for m'lady, but I ain't stupid," he answered very calmly, "I saw you at the concert so don't shit me."

Arya placed both hands on the stand and hated the feeling she got when their faces came close, "Look, stupid. I told you many times before but your head doesn't seem to take it in; I'm not that girl you saw, I look nothing like her. Just leave me alone for all the gods' sake, I'm Arry, Arry Rivers. A normal girl trying to earn a living."

"Sure you are," he gave a mocking scuff, "And I'm Melisandre, Melisandre of Asshai," he held an index finger near his jaw, circling the imaginary hair, "I have scarlet curls and puffy lips and men only join my religion to get under my pants."

"You're such a fucking dick." She cared less now if he snitched or not, holding back another retardism reflex that she didn't find it in her heart to perform on him. _And ruin that stupid perfect face?_

"And you, a liar."

"Fuck off." She didn't hold _that_ back, and started pouring the drink, making sure to hold the glass from the stem, and hating that her pace slowed.

"Oh look, your bodyguard is coming." He whispered in amusement.

On cue, Tom took the seat next to Mag with a threatening look at him, and a reassuring one to her. "Is he bothering you, my lady?"

He snorted his drink at that. _I'm not a fucking lady!_ "No no, he's just a friend."

Tom wasn't convinced, "You sure?"

"Yeah yeah, sir, don't worry, we aren't just friends, we are _besties_." He leaned his elbow on the table, smirking at her. "Right, _Arry_?"

 _You're so added on my list._ She ignored them and tried her hardest not to show her fury when she handed the costumer at the end of the bar his drink, and greeted another with a faker attitude.

When she was back and no one was around but them, she put a hand on Tom's arm and talked in a low voice, hoping the asshole wouldn't hear, "I know father told you to watch out for me but I'm pretty sure he didn't mean you to pull a CIA on us."

"I'm doing my job, my lady."

"Drop the wig, it makes you look absolutely ridiculous!" he flipped his shoulder length black hair at that, "And how many times did I tell you not to call me my lady around here?"

His fat face formed a pout, "But I always wanted to work undercover, my lady... I mean, uhhh, force of habit, my lad-... seven hells! I'll work on that."

"Please do." She saw Gendry talking to a fellow band member after he lost interest, and resumed to talk in a normal voice. "What about the repainting we talked about?"

"Several workshops all said the same, it takes seven to ten days."

"You know I can't have that!"

"As I said, my L... as I said, I can drive you."

"And be seen with your shady tint windowed SUV? No."

"Then I guess we can't do anything about that. I still don't understand what's wrong with your car."

"I told father I wanted it black, but he never listens, and seeing that bright red color is starting to annoy me." Theon had refused to lend her one of his _two_ cars, and she already gave her old one to Robb, the rest didn't seem cooperative either. She didn't see anything wrong with it from the first place, but that stupid Bull's comment about a fancy red car being a princess ride was something she couldn't tolerate any longer.

She went back and prepared a couple of common drinks she'll sure to serve soon when Edric called, "Arry, a beer."

"On it." She told him, already knowing he'll ask for one.

"So M'lady wants to change her princess ride," Gendry said the moment she offered his brother the drink.

Arya glowered at him, "Eavesdropping is ill-mannered." She hoped he didn't hear the first part of the conversation.

"Well, excuse me for not having septas who teach me royal manners, m'lady."

She was tired, tired of telling him to fuck off, tired of telling him she's not a lady, tired of always giving in for his provoking, and mostly tired of his existence. She had her hand in a fist, her knuckles white, and a position ready to earn him a broken nose, but again, that perfect face...

"Wait what's wrong with your car?" Edric asked, completely unaware of the tension, and too used to his fellow band member's remarks.

Busy with her drinks, Arya was glad to engage in a conversation with the sensible brother. "I want to have it repainted."

"The car being?"

"The Jeep Wangler outside, I asked for a black one, but I got red instead."

"Damn," Edric was impressed, "That's a kickass ride right there, completely your style."

For the first time in her shift she smiled, "I know, it was my dream car."

"Arry, you just earned yourself a brofist," he held the fist in the air and she bumped it with her own, making an intense face.

"Nice," Gendry made a nasty smile, "Now kiss."

Edric ignored him, "I take that you want the repaint fast?"

"You bet," she saw a costumer walking in and she got her tools ready, "But problem is, all the workshops claim it takes about a week and I can't wait that long."

"Bullshit," Waters butted in once more, "It needs a few hours max and a day to dry unless they go all _'pimp my ride'_ on that shit,"

She scuffed, "And what do you know about car painting?"

Both brothers snickered.

"What?"

"His foster parents own a workshop, Arry."

"Yes, _Arry_. Your loyal servant has the honor to be doing car painting since he learned how to walk."

Arya hurried off to take an order to hide her embarrassment, he got her there. This time it was a Tequila Daisy, a very easy recipe, she mixed the ingredients and avoided them enough until they forgot the whole subject. When she was all done, she faced them again, not admitting total defeat, and heard a part of their conversation.

"Knock it off, Ed."

"But-"

"No way in hells."

"But-"

"I know what you're trying to do, you desperate idiot. That's cute, but no."

When Edric saw her he smiled, "So Arry, I got my sweet brother here to do the painting for you-"

"No thank you." They both said at once, "I'd prefer waiting for weeks rather than expecting to have bombs planted on my vehicle."

"I admit I didn't think of that, nice idea though bestie, keep talking."

"He's the best at what he does, I grant you." Storm was saying, "It'll be finished by the morrow."

That was tempting, she had to admit. But one look at him and she thought better of it. More contact with Mag, more unfortunate incidents. "Nope, I don't trust him."

He took that as a challenge, "So your ladyship doesn't trust her belongings at the hands of common folk, is that the way of it?"

She slammed her hand on the table, "More than two days, and you're pretender."

"Less than two days, and you are a lady."

"Done a day after the morrow and you're a cheap slut."

That amused him, "Done _at_ the morrow and you're lady Arya Stark of Winterfell."

Thank gods Edric was busy with one of the other band members, too familiar to her and Gendry's quarrels and did not hear what the stupid idiot had just said, he turned and absorbed the scene. "So you reached a settlement?"

"Deal!"

"Deal."

"Yup, you reached it alright." Edric took a final sip, proud of himself. Gendry walked around to where Mya was at the end of the stand and Edric leaned in, "Why is he only like that with you?"

Arya shrugged, "Beats me."

Mya was telling her brothers that there were some technical problems back at the stage and their instruments weren't connecting to the sound system, Gendry offered to try and see what he can do but his sister shushed him and said she had done everything she can, so they were off today until a professional fixed the problem. The Club's only amusement for the night was on speakers and Arya couldn't deny that she was thankful; she hated the face he made when he was focused and into his playing and it made her inside hurt just by watching.

She saw Theon heading their way and she didn't need to be told what to make for him, she started preparing his regular Manhattan, and it was there on the table before he even sat. "Wow you're nailing this job, Ar." He drank, very impressed.

"I thought everybody was back at the mansion already, why are you still sticking around?"

"It's Jeyne," he grunted, "You know how confusing it is when we have them together." Arya made the same reaction, it was true what he said. "And Bran and Sans were around too somewhere... she was actually behind me a moment ago."

"Fled to try her shots," she didn't guess, she knew. "It's becoming really embarrassing, someone has to tell her."

"You do it, gentle heart." He glanced at the three siblings, "You do like this band, huh?"

And before she knew Bran was there too, she poured him a glass and offered it to him, and he spat the liquid once he noticed it was water.

"No liquor for you," she pointed her finger at him, and went back to Theon, "I don't really, they just won't leave me alone, believe it or not."

"I prefer not, I mean, with those posters and all..."

"You saw those too?!"

" _Everybody_ saw them, sis." Bran was trying to reach for the tequila in her hand but she waved him away, "Quite an obsession you have there. Uh, for fuck sake, I'll be eighteen in a few weeks, pleasure me."

"No." she went to make him a fresh fruit juice, "And I'm not obsessed, I'm collective."

"Yeah yeah, sure." Bran tried his drink and made a fake vomit reaction, "Theon, dude, you gotta see that black haired chick, she blushes every second..."

"Already bet ya to it, we did a quickie in the back ten minutes ago. That was nothing by the way, I grant you, wait til you see her color when she was near-"

Both Starks scuffed loudly in disgust.

Bran stood up, "I'll just go and try to unfuck my brain."

"It's too late for me." Arya shook her head, putting both hands on Theon's shoulders, "You, brother, reek of whoriness, and it's incurable."

"Reek, it rhymes with sneak." He rose his eyebrows twice, and turned to side, then to her, "So... which one of them is Mag?"

She sucked in her breath, and bent closer, hoping she did not look as shocked as she felt, "H-he's not-"

"Ar, please," he smirked evilly, "Your hands are shaking so violently it's giving my shoulders a good massage."

She squeezed as hard as she can until it was obvious he was in pain, "No one must know, I'm telling you, _no one_."

"All the realms of men know, Ar." He winced at the pain, but he was used to her violence, "Except Robb and Sansa-"

"What? How?!"

"You know Grenn and the rest were with Jon at the road when you called him," he said "They were all passed out but Aegon had some wits left in him and he heard the conversation, you know Egg... he likes to gossip."

"Oh _fuck_ me."

He made a foul face, "Ewww, go ask Mag for that."

"I don't wanna interrupt this very romantic moment." She was so close and into the conversation and didn't notice Gendry towering over them, "But I want the keys, lemme go and be done with it."

It took her a moment to come back to real life, he wanted her car keys, for the paint job, she remembered. But did she trust him enough to lend him her own car though? It was either that or Arya would drive to his work place and spend more time around the imbecile, she did not think twice before reaching for her pocket and bringing out her keychain. "Do anything unnecessary, and I'll have you gelded. "

"Yeah yeah... I'm so scared. Look at me... I'm shitting myself." He snatched the keys from her hand, "I'll charge you double, you have too much money to spare, and I need the extra cash-"

"Hey!"

"I'm sure m'lady would pay anything that requires," he glanced at Theon, "She's rich, isn't she?"

Theon whistled, "More than you can imagine bro."

"Good then, it's settled."

"Thanks for the fucking support, little prick." She almost spat at her adopted brother.

He struck his tongue out, "Shut up, you love me."

That made Gendry start for the door, not facing her when he spoke. "It'll be delivered to your doorstep at the first crisp of morning sun."

"Hey, how would you know where my house is?"

"Pffft, the Stark mansion's address is common knowledge, ladyship."

There was a long awkward silence after he left, Arya could swear she almost eyed Theon for straight five minutes until he broke it, breathing in loudly. "Oh my gods."

"Theon-"

"Oh my gods."

"Don't. Plea-"

"Oh my gods!" he slapped the table, and a loud thunder of laughter came out of his mouth, "Egg _has_ to hear this!"

"Look look," she reached for him again, "I'll do anything, okay? Anything, just don't tell anyone. If you do anyway, I'll kick your ass bloody and you won't be able to walk straight for weeks."

Theon narrowed his eyes in consideration, it tipped him off. "Alright, you owe me, though."

"Yes, a very wise decision, brother."

It was a while later after Theon made her give him countless free drinks as a start, Arya not failing to notice that he was drinking way too heavily than normal, when Sansa joined them, already tipsy on her alcohol and her pretty face flushed and emotionless, "Bloody fudj."

"Fuck, sister, F.U.C.K. I know it's hard, but you gotta work on you pronunciation, for the greater good." Theon told her, his head on the table and near passing out.

" _Fuck_ off, Theon."

That surprised both of them.

"I'm bloody done. This stupid soulmate nonsense, I'm sick of it. I'm sick of it all." She had tears in her eyes, and soon she joined Theon on the table.

Arya was busy with her drinks and let her siblings grieve as much as they wanted as long as they don't bother costumers, she had a towel in ready for the moment her brother started vomiting.

Four glasses and three costumers later, a group of men entered the club and she was occupied, the prophesy did happen however, and Theon coughed out some of the liquor on the table, then ran to the back fast as a crippled deer. The spilled vomit was already cleaned out but Sansa couldn't stand it any longer and rushed to her feet. Arya was about to stop her, knowing that she would have to take the keys from Theon and drive both of her siblings back home. But her idiot sister couldn't wait and just had to stumble on her feet and land on the floor face first, Arya didn't made a fuss, seeing a man already taking care of her and helping her lovely sister to stand back up.

Then she heard it, almost four feet away and in muffled sounds but she heard it, a familiar set of words that she used to hear every single day for the last four painful years, and Arya was sure this was the biggest event of the day, heck, the year.

"Watch for yourself, little bird." It was nowhere near what she imagined, nowhere. It came out with a gruff thick voice of a man seven feet tall, heavily muscled, and hard looking. She didn't help but stare at his face, which undoubtedly caught attention, the left side of the man's face was almost a ruin, the flesh was mostly burned and leaving a huge contrast with the good gaunt side of his face, which would've been once handsome but this man was no longer. A light beard and long hair were covering the burned side, but it fooled no one.

Sansa took her time to take it in as well, too long, mayhaps. She heard a loud gasp, and saw widened wet eyes, and Sansa began crying loudly like a newborn child, "This is not fair!" her voice was loud and heavy and Arya had her mouth opened the whole time.

In seconds Sansa was running out, Bran by her heels. Arya was still letting the entire incident sink in when the very scarred man sat at the bar, "Aye, it ain't." it was one of the ugliest yet happiest smiles she'd ever seen, the man saw Arya's shock, and rose his chin so she could see the tattoo on his collarbone, the grin not leaving his face. "So glad she didn't turn out as ugly as I feared."

The tattoo was _'This is not fair'_ but he had added ink by his own, a cross sign over the 'this' with 'life' under it instead.

She couldn't help it, she threw her head back and laughed hysterically. It was wrong, yet she couldn't stop herself, she did until tears came out, "Gods be good!" she went to bring a bottle of Vodka and ice, "Gods! This shit is _too_ good!"

"You seem more rejoiced than me, woman."

"Oh only if you imagine!" she couldn't stop laughing even til then, "Seven hells. What's your name?"

"Sandor."

 _Sandor. Sansa. SanSan._ She laughed even more at that. _Soulmates!_

"Yes, Sandor, my future brother in-law! Drinks on me, man, I insist." She smiled loudly, pouring a generous amount of alcohol, "Please tell me you drive a truck."

"I actually do..."

Arya didn't remember the last time she laughed this hard.

"Oh my gods you're like my new BFF!" she held her glass in the air, "A toast, for soulmates!"

There was a clatter and another smile.

That night Arya had a peaceful sleep, regardless of the fact that Theon puked all the way home, screaming inhuman nonsense about what she believed was about a girl again, and her sister's crying that reached the whole mansion with no one out of her voice range, and even with her tired body from the extra shift she took. She slept peacefully and soundly, and came the morrow, Arya ran downstairs like it was a holiday, still in her yesterday's clothes and bare feet and opened the front door, and saw that Tom already pulled the car inside.

It was enchanting; perfect, and shining, spotless and black as midnight. Almost resembling the beautiful jet of his hair...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: A Girl Is Ignorant**

 _Swift as a deer. Quiet as a shadow. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water_. Arya ignored those lessons she received from Instructor Syrio and charged in full force, allowing her rage to take over. She did a cross punch, once, twice, thrice, but the man before her slipped away like she was hitting in snail speed, in which she was not. Arya was angrily striking, not caring about anything else but deforming his face and cause the man pain, her sidekicks weren't working either, they did little effect and the Jap punches proved useless with the strong defense and fists in front of his mysterious face.

Her working hours proved more nerve paining of late; not because of the job stress, numerous costumers, or the tiny space she had to make orders for dozens of people in a shift, not any of those. She loved that job but one certain man had to ruin her mood whenever she thought she was handling things great. Gendry Waters was ignoring her the entire day, not that she was complaining. But when Arya finally had enough of pretending she was okay with not paying for the car painting; she confronted him, Edric tried to be civilized and told her that his brother wouldn't charge for a friend, not that she was one. But however, when she insisted and offered to send the money to his bank account something triggered in him and he violently lashed out on her. Arya was surprised just as much as Edric was; she'd never seen him this angry before. _'Keep your fancy money to yourself!'_ he had yelled, and if it was anyone but Arya they would have been scared, but she was furious and did not fear to reply. It went downhill from there, and it took Edric and his three other siblings to calm them down.

 _Angry as a boar. Fearless as a lion. Fast as a panther. Stubborn as a bull._ Those were her new rules for this set. She wailed, groaned, and roared with every hit but the instructor was unfazed, responding to every bash with a stronger, more accurate move or a dodge, but Arya was unshakable, not today, not now. "A girl strikes more violently."

' _What's with you?!'_ she had yelled equally loudly.

The glare he wore was almost terrifying. _'Nothing really. Just the fucking mere sight of you grinds my gears!'_

' _Then go fuck yourself!'_

' _Because I'm a lowlife for you, aren't I?!'_

" _You're a pretty fucking good example!"_

" _Screw you!"_ and Waters walked out, the ground quacking at his steps, and he almost broke the door at his leave.

She was aiming to end this, Arya hopped on one foot and sent another in the air, high and steady and aimed for H'ghar's neck, but before she even saw it coming, the man almost vanished into thin air; she gasped as he dropped low and swung a kick at her ankle, knocking her down on the floor painfully. "But a girl thinks less." Arya heard him saying, the serious smile was the last thing she saw before getting the wind knocked out of her.

There was a loud wave of claps behind them, after a long series of rounds the people at the Black and White gathered to see Arya in rage again, something that occurs often and was amusing to watch. They were clapping for H'ghar not her, she knew. He performed a perfect low sweeping kick that even she herself couldn't master; if she was in-between them watching, Arya would be clapping as well. But disappointment took over, H'ghar didn't only perform a beautiful technique, but she gave him an obvious clean opportunity and had her guard down once again. What did she want to do? Hit him in the head? He was too tall and she would never reach that high, even if Arya was taller than average females, Jaqen still towered her, even for a Stark she wasn't that tall, she was the third shortest in the family. But none of them towered her like The Bull did... nonetheless, agility and speed were always her strongest weapons, but she ignored that logic then.

Jaqen knelt next to her, nodding slowly with her silent gasps, calming her down. She was used to diaphragm spasm and didn't need to confuse herself, she just needed to keep still for a few minutes and her breath would come back gradually. It was still painful, just as if the humiliation and suppressed anger wasn't enough for the day.

He helped her stand up but she pushed him away, walking to an empty bench and taking off her helmet and cupping her face. Arya drank a whole bottle of water in one go and gasped for air, tearing off her heavy bag gloves and rolling off the bandages around the knuckles. _'Because I'm a lowlife for you, aren't I?!'_ his voice rang in her ears, the rage, the anger. She understood. She was the daughter of one of the wealthiest most famous men in the world, and he on the other hand, was a member of a local metal band, she envied him for that, more than he can imagine. Arya heard the members talking about taking a world tour later this year and she felt envy eating her whole. They were free, they weren't committed, they can pursue their dreams with no one to stop them, or a reputation or family honor to care about, Arya wasn't born with this. She was caged, forever, if she knew better. Regardless, even if Gendry didn't know they were soulmates; he must feel the same as her when they were around each other, and he compressed all of this into hatred, just like Arya did; hatred, spite, frustration... and other things. She would often look up the band on the internet and when her stalking went too far she would not handle it any longer.

She would feel pressure and need at her body deep down, something that needed attention and she would even touch herself in strange ways for release if it came to that, it was incomprehensible, just like Jon said. It wasn't love, it wasn't hate, it was _lust_. Layers and layers of suppressed lust that her body couldn't handle around him, something that angered her to deep extremes, she would oft than not find release in other ways though: training, training roughly for hours until she couldn't move a muscle any longer. The knuckles she was rubbing now were always bruised, always. She took her training to a new level and she would spend her entire days at the center if she could, but Arya had a job to do and spring break was almost over; soon she wouldn't even have those training hours any longer until the month was over.

She forced herself on her feet to where Jaqen H'ghar and the Waif were, talking in a deep conversation, Waif's face stern as she undid the bandages on his fingers. "Rematch." Arya said.

Both of them rolled their eyes in amusement, "A girl is unyielding."

"You went for straight thirteen rounds Arya, not even _Muhammad Ali_ went this far on his daily training."

"Then you swing."

"After what I saw? No thank you." Waif immediately declined.

"A girl obviously wants to hurt herself, this, a man cannot do."

She shot Jaqen a look, "A girl wants to fucking murder you, that's what she wants."

He pretended to be hurt, "A girl will weep, a girl will lose her only friend here."

Arya glanced at Waif and she answered with a shrug, "You're not my friend, a friend would help me."

"This girl frightens everyone, this lovely girl is not even near a man's weight division, yet a man spends hours with this girl everyday."

"You won't even show me anything, not even the technique back there!"

"A girl might... stop this daily farce, if a friend did help?"

"A girl might," she said, "If a friend did help."

As Waif left them to talk to Umma, Jaqen nodded, "Not today, this girl is too enraged about a boy."

Arya frowned immediately, "How did you-"

His smile came and went, "A man sees. A man hears. A man knows."

She glanced around; gossip wasn't common in this center, not that anyone knew to begin with, "Who told you?"

He shook his head as to shake off her stupidity, "A girl kept screaming _'Bull'_ and _'Fuck you Gendry'_ and a lot of nasty curses, a girl has a foul mouth."

She did? "I did?"

"A girl doesn't even know what she's saying when she's overwhelmed, a man knows."

" _Fuck_ a man."

"A man is straight." He winked.

"Ugh!"

"So a girl... wants to beat up a boy?"

"I can't. That's the problem," Arya's main issue was that every time she prepared herself to attack and deform him was in vain. He was the only human being to successfully provoke her and not get a proper beating. That grecian nose, the chiseled chin, the huge eyes, no way in hells Arya could do harm to them. And those ample lips... that she wondered how would they feel against her own. _Shut up, me!_ "I can't do it, I want to though, I really want to."

"Aha," Jaqen nodded twice, "So a girl is in love with a boy."

"No way in hells!"

He stroke his chin. "So a boy is this girl's soulmate then?"

 _He saw right through me, damn him._ She thought. Arya couldn't deny that she had one, not to him since Jaqen probably saw the tattoo more than anyone else did. "And what do you know about soulmates?"

"A soulmate can't hurt another, it is known."

"Are you trying to pull a Dothraki here?" she mocked, "And how would you know that?"

He raised his eyebrow, amused. "A girl is ignorant."

Arya knew he didn't have a tattoo, she saw him almost naked countless times, but never a flash of ink appeared on his clear body. Yet she had to admit, Arya knew nothing regarding soulmates. Except that they are the gods' wrath upon human beings, she at least was sure about _that_.

Later that day Arya was finally out of the center after the Lorathi practically kicked her out, her standard four hours a day became six or seven and she was destroying her body, both inside and out, she knew. She horned at the gates and waited for the guards to open, and that's when she saw a motorcycle not far away from the entrance, a rider leaning against it and looking directly at her car. Arya grabbed the steering wheel perhaps too hard, hurting her own bruises as her soulmate made his way to her vehicle.

He knocked at the window but she ignored him, and the butterflies in her stomach, waiting for the doors to let her car inside, but the gods were against her today. He kept knocking stubbornly, and she soon began to think the guards were dozing off again. Gendry knocked one last time with a rough hit but she didn't even bother as to glance at the guy to her left. He took out something from his leather jacket, a phone most likely, and dialed a number. Her cell started ringing with Lana Del Ray humming with her godly voice and she picked up.

"Open now, m'lady, or I'll break you window," she listened to him on the phone, "In three: one... two..."

She grunted and pressed the window bottom, he jerked his head, "I came to apologize."

"This is considered stalking," she spoke in indifference, "How the heck did you get my number?"

"Ed gave it to me. He kept bitching all day." He told her, even his grumpy voice started up those urges again, "You went out early."

"I had one shift today," Arya made sure to take double shifts, because she really wanted to earn as much money as she can for Mycah, but wasn't forced to do it every day. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long." He lied. Arya paused, frowning, how did she know he was lying? His voice and outlook sure didn't show it, yet she felt it, she _knew_. But how? _A girl is ignorant._ Jaqen had told her. "I just came to say.. ahhm.." he rubbed the back of his neck, thinking, then started speaking in almost a robotic tone. "That my reaction came out too bluntly, I just had a bad day and I took it out on you. But I really don't need the money; let's just count this as a favor, for a friend. I was joking about the double charge earlier."

Arya rolled her eyes, "Is this what Edric trained you to say?"

"More or less," he shrugged, "Uhh, listen, I was sort of a dick today, I'm sorry. Here, happy?"

His tone was almost sweet; she gave in and turned to face him. Rain droplets were still on his shoulders and his hair was wet and gods be good he even made water look sexy on him, she was surprised to see him focused on her, too focused. "You're always a dick."

"Only around certain people."

"What have I ever fucking done to you?"

She almost felt his anger coming back, but it faded the moment it came, "I always knew, smartass. But you take me as a stupid idiot," Arya gulped, _what did he know?_ "It's not like if you told me you're Arya I would go and sing a bloody song that we have a lady as bartender so the whole nation would know, what sort of a jerk do you take me for?"

Disappointment. She was tired of disappointment. _You_ are _an idiot, if not you would've figured out that I'm your soulmate._ She should tell him, she always knew she should, but it was way too obvious. Gendry Waters hated people from her statues, he hated highborn ladies and lords and despised them, he would despise her even more if he knew. But who is she to judge him? She hated them as well, perhaps even more, Arya didn't blame the guy.

"What do you want, Gendry?"

He leaned in even more, perhaps too close. The gates opened and lights shone, brightening his godsdamn perfect face, much to her dismay. "I want a – you are bruised." His voice suddenly turned serious.

"No shit," she looked down on her arms and hands, full of blue bumps and cuts. "What gave it away? The swelling? The blood? Or the blueness?"

"Who did this to you?!" he glowered at her, almost in an intimidating way. His hands clinched on the window surface.

 _He is angry._ "I take self defense classes, stupid." She giggled, trying to ease the tension "An instructor of mine, a very weird dude if you ask me, though most of these are from the punching bags."

"Why the heck would you go against a guy?"

"Because all the girls are too afraid to go against me," She smiled, as she saw his surprise. "You want a what?"

He shook his head, regaining his train of thoughts, "A truce, we work in the same place. And Ed will kill me if I didn't earn your ladyship's forgiveness." There was a lie, but it was coated in some truth. Again, Arya had no idea how she knew.

"Alright then." she smiled.

"Great, good decision." He turned away to his motorcycle.

Arya couldn't help but scowl. "Wait, is that it?"

"Yeah pretty much," he stopped, looking at her with a smirk. "What do you want, m'lady, a bow or something?"

"Fuck off." Arya stepped on the gas and went inside, leaving him there without turning around. She had enough of soulmate pressure for one day.

She did not go upstairs immediately, but made sure to go to the hall and greet the Jeynes. Arya completely ignored their coming yesterday and when she came back with Theon the mansion was asleep, not until they heard Sansa's crying at night. Coincidentally, the family were dining at the hall, and only two chairs were empty. Arya said her hellos to her family and made her way to greet Jeyne Westerling next to Robb, then to Jeyne Poole, kissing each of them on the cheeks and ignoring Westerling's attempt to hug her. Arya sat between Bran and the empty chair.

Not long after, Theon came into the room, Arya suspected that he was asleep all day, judging from the clothes and the Wight-like face, he squinted at the lights but made his way to the table nonetheless, after hugging Westerling and telling her that's she's radiant, and not as much as a pat on the back and a nod to Poole. It was common knowledge, that Theon flirted with every female with legs, but his sisters and Poole were the only exception, because they grew up together.

"So, Horseface, how's Mag?" Poole said, smiling.

 _That name again,_ "Still none existent."

Jon, Theon, and Bran had hidden smiles, she glared at the three of them. Robb and the girls seemed oblivious, after all the drama yesterday, Sansa finding out that her sister's soulmate is one of her biggest crushes would bring the whole world to an early apocalypse, no doubt.

She also noticed the tension between Robb and Theon, they haven't said a word to each other since the Khal Drogo encounter, but she noticed the uneasiness at the airport as well but forgot to ask. She made a mental note to question Jon later, as everyone ate very silently. Theon was on his wine cups naturally and after two glasses he came forward, "So can we all address the elephant in the room?"

Robb glared at him, "Theon-"

"Not you. Yours is a godsdamn Blue Whale," He waved Robb away, pointing his glass at their sister, "I mean this pretty lifeless elephant."

Catelyn cleared her throat, "I think we should wait til after the deserts-"

"Cat, I don't think she'll have any deserts, look at her." Jon said with pity.

"What's going on?" Rickon was being left out once more, and got expectedly ignored.

"Heck, I say we go for it now, I'm already drunk." Theon said, smiling.

"Actually dear, I need to know what happened too," her father told his wife, "Sansa?"

"Let me tell you what I know, dear sire." Theon said, "I was drunk on four Manhattans, three vodkas, and countless beers but I _still_ couldn't pass out in peace from all the noises last night. She was aiming _Mariah Carey_ pitch with all that crying."

"Yeah, of course." Robb snapped. "Because all what the kingdom cares about is prince Greyjoy passing out in peace."

"Hey hey," Theon held a hand, "A man needs his drunken sleep, okay?"

"Enough," their father said angrily, also noticing the tension between the two. "Quiet. I'll deal with the matter between you two later, now let's hear what your sister says."

All eyes were on Sansa now, she looked nothing like the radiant beauty they always knew, instead, a sad, shrinking, bloodshed eyed, tired little girl was sitting in her place. Sansa sniffed and lowered her head. Poole gave her a tissue, rolling her eyes at the usual behavior.

"Jeyne, sweetheart, do you know anything?" her father continued.

"Me?" both Jeynes replied. Arya and Theon grunted, this used to happen every time.

"Poole," her father said patiently, "She's your best friend, she talks to you."

Poole shook her head, "Not anymore it seems. She didn't tell me a word since I arrived."

She got questioned looks from everyone.

"I swear it, y'know, old gods and new." She put a hand in the air.

"Says the biggest liar in the family," Theon muttered.

"You're drunk," Jeyne shot him a look.

"Oh, my secret is revealed! You're growing smarter every year, Jey."

"Don't." Jon told him, seeing that Sansa began to weep again.

"Sister, please, I beg you." Theon shifted his attention to Sansa, "Your crying from last night is still echoing in my head, I don't need new samples."

"Fuck off, Theon." Robb said, angry.

"Leave her the fuck alone." Poole continued.

Theon sipped his wine, "Well, fuck you both."

There was a loud slam on the table, everyone flinched. Eddard Stark had an icy look plastered on his face, "If I hear this filthy word _one more time_ , I'll never dine with you again. Enough of this mummer's farce!" The three of them bowed and muttered apologies; all the Stark children had a healthy fear of Ned. "Sansa, why are you crying?"

There was a long silence after Ned's outburst, Sansa was still on her weeping, and Theon almost cried with her as well of how much he hated that voice, Arya tried, but she couldn't handle it any longer. "I know what happened."

"Yes, Arya, tell us."

It was the hardest thing to do not to laugh, "Apparently, Robb can see the future." Arya had some control but Bran didn't, he released a small chuckle and that was enough for both of them to start laughing like retards, Sansa sobbed more at that.

Theon patted Robb on the back, "So being whipped is not your only talent."

It was Westerling's turn to react, she smiled at him, her famous _I'll-fucking-murder-you_ smile and Theon looked away, releasing his brother.

"Just tell me what happened!" Her father finally lost his patience.

Bran's laughter faded, and Arya gulped. "Yesterday, our lovely sister found her soulmate." She heard her mother and the Jeynes gasping, "And her soulmate, believe it or not, was – and I quote – 'An ugly bearded truck driver waiting at the side of the road for his pretty innocent soulmate'."

Everyone was speechless, Bran, Arya, and Theon struggling not to laugh, Jeynes and Catelyn taking it all in, Robb, Jon, and Ned simply shocked, and Sansa crying some more.

Surprisingly, she was the one to talk first, "H-he wasn't that ugly."

"Dude!" Arya and Bran exclaimed at once.

"Yeah yeah he wasn't, he's beautiful," Theon said sarcastically, "Just stop crying."

"What happened, who's he?" her father asked.

"His name is Sandor." Arya answered, "His brother burned his face when he was young, he had mental issues, and the guy used to be a formal bodyguard for some prince, he actually worked in the Red Keep. Now he's just delivering supplies from the Riverlands and back here, when I asked him why he quit, he calmly said _'Fuck the prince'_." Everyone looked at her like she was a Whitewalker, she shrugged, "People talk a lot when they are drunk, pros of being a bartender."

"Dear, you need to do something about this." Catelyn finally recovered from her shock, "Get him a proper job, I will _not_ have my eldest daughter's soulmate to be a truck driver."

"And that's _all_ you care about, mother?" Robb pointed at their sister, crying her eyes out as a suicide attempt to drown herself, apparently.

"Alright that was nice," Theon put both hands on the table, "Can you give us just one quiet moment, sister? Thank you." He said the moment Sansa sniffed and stopped crying, "Now your turn, sweet brother, and on you go."

Robb was silent and Westerling shuffled in her seat uncomfortably, "I-I don't think it's the right time."

Robb nodded, "Yeah yeah some other day."

Theon snorted, "Do it now or I'll break it to them, I'm too drunk to fear Jeyne Westerling's beating after it."

There was a series of glares and huffs but the couple gave up, Robb held Jeyne's hand and smiled, despite everything that happened that evening. "Father, mother, everyone else. I don't think this will strike anyone as a surprise, but-" he looked at her and his smile became even wider, "Me and Jeyne are going to get married."

The table broke in chants, gasps, and wide eyes at the couple. People walked in all directions, Sansa finally lost it and wailed even louder than yesterday, fleeing the room with Poole behind her. Catelyn was nowhere in sight, Theon went upstairs after the girls, losing interest, and father and her brothers were standing and congratulating the couple and Arya was waiting for her turn as well, she understood everything now, Theon's ultimate rule was to never commit to everyone, and Arya remembered the elder three making a promise when they were teens to never get married, that was before they got their tattoos, but Arya knew Theon did all this so he wouldn't end up alone, but his closest brother and best friend was going to leave him now, even Theon didn't want to end up lonely, for the first time ever, Arya felt sorry that her adopted brother wasn't born with a soulmate.

A few hours later when the events calmed down, Arya went upstairs eventually, spending time with the lovable pair was too much for her, as much as she was disgusted, she was also jealous of the love they had and spread everywhere, something she would never find unless she gives up her pride and confront Mag. She came by Jon's room on her way to check on him, and saw her brother mesmerized on the screen, Arya wondered if it was a special militarily research, but she shook her head once she saw him on Google Images, looking up something. "'Beautiful redheads in Riverlands?' _Seriously_ , Jon?" she read the tag.

He almost jumped, "Shit, stop sneaking up on people." He said, continuing his quest, "Can't help it okay? That's the only thing I know. Beautiful. Redhead. Riverlands."

"She's _that_ beautiful?"

"More, you can't even imagine." He turned, "But I looked it up, and apparently, in anyone's eyes, their soulmate is always the most attracting thing they've ever seen."

"You can't be serious."

"Alright let's see, name me two people more attractive than Mag."

She bit her lip, that was easy. _Let's see,_ she thought, _Lores Tyrell... no he's way more girly than him. Renly Baratheon... he did look like Gendry but his arms are not right. Jaime Lannister... nah nah, he's too blond. Beric Dondarion... no he has the wrong eyes.._ "FUCK."

"Tooold you." Jon was long back on his computer.

"But Sansa-"

"You heard her, she said that he wasn't _that_ ugly, and you claim the guy's face is an aftermath." Her brother explained, "And check this out, says here that your cells react when your soulmate is near, and that there's a bond between them that's unbreakable, you feel your soulmate nearby even if you didn't talk to them yet. Also, apparently you can even sense if your soulmate is angry, happy, or even if they are lying. And this dude here claims that just standing next to his soulmate makes him hard as a mast. I don't know how much of this is true though."

Gendry always knew she wasn't Arry, recognized her without makeup right away, always seemed to not leave her alone, even he doesn't seem to know why, and every time she lied to him he seemed to discover immediately. _A girl is ignorant._ "Everything," Arya said, wonderstruck, "Everything that's written there is true."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Yo.**

"Motherfucker!"

Arya rushed back to take orders, her normal swift movements were clumsy and half of the time she needed to restart from scratch, forgetting what to do, three, five, six, costumers kept on coming and the bar was half full, and it wasn't even dark yet.

Mya was too used to Arya's swearing, "Her mood is as lovely as our sweet brother today."

"Seven Hells!" Gendry screamed behind them.

Bella nodded, "A very good likeness."

"Hey, doesn't he warship R'hllor or something?"

"He tends to forget."

"Pfffft."

"What's wrong, Arry?" Barra, their youngest sister, was the only one concerned.

"Everything!" Arya gave them beers despite what they asked for, only bothering to make mixes for new costumers, she was afraid to look up, knowing that their numbers were increasing by the second. She eventually left everything and took out her cellphone, dialing the same number for the tenth time this shift; the gods were finally merciful and the man picked up. "Where the fuck are you, Naharis?!"

"Heyy, Arry, what's up?" the Pentoshi answered gleefully, noises coating his voice.

"Your head, on a damn spike, in the very near future!"

Daario laughed, "Sweet as ever!"

"Where the fuck are you?!"

"Far... far away."

"You neglecting ass!"

"Hey, no need to be bitching, I left you a note."

She squeezed the paper in her hand, her nails digging in her palm. "What the heck do you mean by _'Cover for me xoxo'_?! Your shift started two hours ago, Yoren is not here, and did you freaking forget today is a Saturday?!"

"Of course I didn't. That's why I ditched."

"Fuck you!" she almost shouted.

"Sure, anytime... anywhere... but _not_ tonight, I've got a party going on."

"Screw you _and_ you party, get your godsdamn ass back here or I'll shave that hideous purple beard off of your stupid face."

"Don't go making dangerous threats, now."

"I'll punch some teeth out too don't worry, asshole, say goodbye to your stupid golden tooth!"

"Just calm down, call Sat."

"He just left!"

"Shae?"

"She's sick!"

"Ohh– I'm sorry Ar, I'm about to lose you 'cause I'm about to drive into a tunnel in a canyon on an airplane... pshhhht pshhhht Oh! Is that a dragon?! Pshhht-"

She heard a long beep and Arya threw her phone onto the wall, crashing it to pieces and yelling inhuman curses.

Mya bent to look, "Was that a new Iphone?"

"Damn, that thing costs more than we make in a month." Bella said, drinking her beer.

"Calm down, Arry." Barra finished.

She took a deep breath, but there was no use, "I'm _so_ fucked."

Bella smiled at Mya, "Our brother wouldn't like that."

"Guys stop being bitches," Barra scolded them.

Arya glanced at Edric, who was at the stage, she knew they were talking about him and she also expected the guy had a thing for her, but Arya kept those thoughts to herself. The only one who mattered was the beautiful walking piece of art standing in front of the stage behind him, almost as angry as she was.

She forced herself to look away from Mag, and made two mixes at the same time, each with one hand. Soon enough this would end in a disaster, she knew. "Guys, seriously, don't you have something to play? I'm sorta busy."

Mya groaned, "Remember the repairs? The guy Yoren hired just made things worse, now all the instruments work but Gendry's."

"We'll just be sitting here til Ed figures something out, don't mind us." Bella added.

Arya didn't, she was serving four people at once, people were coming from all directions and her siblings were nowhere to be found, if she needed help Arya had a mind to ask them, but everyone was scattered around the club by now.

"Pyp!" she yelled once she saw Jon's large eared friend, "Thank the gods! Go find me the rest, I need all the help I can get."

"Help with what?!" he screamed in her ear.

"I want help with serving."

He shook his head, "Aegon is stoned, Jon is drunk, Theon both. And Robb is so whipped Jeyne didn't let him come. The rest didn't make it, and I don't think the girls would be of much help."

She shook him desperately. "Then you help, Pyp, pleaaaase."

"Oh!" he turned to the side, "Is that my soulmate calling for me? I gotta go!"

And he was gone, Arya was left surrounded by costumers at every corner, attacking her with orders and she managed her best to serve almost half of them without losing her sanity, a Tequila here, a Martini there, numerous beers, Manhattans, Vodkas and soon Arya knew she would not able to keep up much longer, the table was filled with unwashed glasses and uncleaned spills and angry people who've been waiting for too long.

"Arya!"

She turned around to the sound of her name, locking her eyes with big blue ones and for a moment the pressure faded, "Are you okay?" Gendry asked, "You look like you've seen Plumm's famous six foot tall manhood."

Arya wiped her shaky hands on her apron, gulping, she was not okay, and she knew better than to lie to him. "No I'm not. Yoren is gone for some private business, Daario ditched me for some party, Satin can't be reached, Shae is sick and took the day off... my friends won't help... of _gods_..."

"They left you alone?" Edric asked, worried, the loud music probably permitted him to hear her name and for that Arya was grateful.

"Fuck it. I'll give you a hand." Gendry announced, jumping over his way to her, if Arya wasn't frightened by costumers she would've been impressed by the move. "Ed, you go play with the girls already, maybe you'll attract some attention and the bar would slow down."

"On it."

"But... but.."

"Shut up, you were about to start crying there," Gendry stood before her, "Some lady tears would be sweet to watch but not on you."

"Fuck off," the words just came out, Arya got her composure back. "Alright go wear some- never mind, nothing will fit you anyway. Take orders and give them to me – here take this notebook – if they asked for a beer or any drink straight out of a bottle give it to them, hand me the orders, and wipe out the drinks from the table. Can you do that much?"

"Yes, gotcha." Arya was surprised to see Gendry this serious, she half expected he'll complain and demand to give some of that work to her, but he practically ran and started to do what he was told.

He changed since the day he came by the mansion, the jests and flirtation with other girls were still there, but instead of arguing with her all the time Gendry actually started offering friendly conversations, they talked, and he even made her laugh now and then, though she was wishing this wasn't just for Edric, heck she prayed it wasn't.

The line was moving faster and Arya thanked the Seven so many times she thought she'll turn into a septa soon, but Arya couldn't help but feel slightly nervous, from the earlier pressure, or Gendry being so near, she could not tell.

Sandor came from nowhere, wearing his usual grumpiness, "Rivers, have you seen the Stark girl?"

"Nope, no idea, Sansa's around somewhere." Arya threw him a bottle and he caught it, "Take a beer and go."

She was really surprised to see Mag pulling an actual good job, he was taking all the orders and moving back and forth in light speed, it was fascinating to watch him this focused, he kept convincing most costumers to take easier drinks, especially the females, in which Arya was for the first time grateful. She was keeping up with good speed, had three drinks in different mixers and no orders on postpone.

She turned around but her drink spilled from the mixer and into the floor, she cursed and went to bring a clothe but her boot made contact with the liquid and Arya felt her feet slipping and soon her body was swaying to the side, the floor was rough, she knew. Putting her arms in front of her face instinctively, she braced for impact and closed her eyes, but it didn't happen, instead she felt almost a pleasurable shock of electricity run through her body; it took her time to realize that a pair of strong arms were wrapped around her, and a warm familiar scent went through her nose when she breathed in his shirt, it was perfectly fitting, like their bodies were made for each other. The electricity was gone and replaced with warmth and an abnormal sense of rapture. _Holy shit!_

Gendry wanted to say something but he stopped, looking equally shocked, when Arya pulled herself away with fright, he stood there staring at her like she was an alien, then looked at his hand in disbelief, "Electricity, too?" he asked himself, and it took him time to regain his cool, the Bull shook his head, "Physics is a bitch."

Arya was long gone; away from him and what he made her feel just by one touch, and went back to restart the recipe and clean the floor, her hands shaky and her mind dozed. She spent a long time researching with Jon but it was hard to separate facts from exaggerations; _touching your soulmate leads to a strange body reaction_ turned out to be a fact, Arya thought she bumped into him but it must've been just his keyboard; she always made sure to never get close, that was bad, very bad, she suddenly found herself wanting more than just a touch _. Get a grip!_ She told herself.

The rest of the shift Arya made sure to stay away from him as much as possible, though the pair proved to be very well at team work, the orders went very fast and smoothly, more than they ever did with Daario, even if she made all the mixes herself, Gendry handled all the rest without question, although the guy seemed puzzled as well but recovered more quickly. He was a hardworking guy, she noted.

She was amidst making a Bloody Merry cocktail when Arya heard cries and loud screams, and tables breaking. _Another fight_ , she thought, not taking her focus off of what was in her hands, clubs without a few quarrels a night weren't real clubs.

That's when she heard Yoren's voice yelling, "Take it outside, punks!"

It was the sweetest sound she heard all night, that... and Mag's voice when he touched her. Arya looked up with joy, "Boss!"

"What in the seven hells is going on here?" the owner looked at Gendry and back at her, "He ditched again, didn't he?"

"Yes," she grunted, finishing the order and giving it away, "Got last minute help."

"On a bloody Saturday. I'll pluck his teeth out this time, I swear it." He went through the back to come on the other side and Arya felt the weight of the world off of her shoulders. Not until she heard Jon's voice through the door.

 _Theon_. She immediately knew, Arya didn't think twice before slipping out of the bar and heading to the door, the scene outside had a lot of ridiculous familiarity in it.

"Her _again_?!" Arya exclaimed when she saw the same silver haired woman, with Drogo, three of his bulky friends, and her brothers at the other side. Theon had a black eye in process but no one seemed pleased yet.

"What the heck is wrong with you?!" Bran said in disgust, who made an entry right after her.

"She has silver hair and purple eyes!" Theon tried to justify himself, "She was _asking_ for it."

"Fuck you." The girl said.

"Theon," Jon sighed heavily, his hair everywhere on his face, "Could you _please_ stop thinking with your dick?!"

"Perhaps you should start thinking with it every now and often."

He received another punch.

Everyone winced, "Deserved it." Arya muttered, impressed by Drogo's agility, but his girlfriend pulled him away. "What did he do this time?"

"He was grabbing my ass like it was a _rugby_ ball." Thank the gods Drogo didn't seem to understand what the girl was saying.

"Look," Theon said, wiping out his bloody nose, "I didn't know that he was there behind me."

"That doesn't make it okay to grab a girl's ass!" Jon yelled.

"Well, here you go." He put a hand in the air, "My whole life is a lie."

Another punch, this time from Jon himself, though it didn't seem half as damaging as his other bruises.

"Fantastic! Take turns would you not? Bran, c'mere, get a punch too before it's too late, I know you want it. Arya, stand in line."

"What's wrong with you man?!" Bran answered.

" _Everything_ is wrong." Theon snapped, "But nobody seemed to give a shit. Why would you? I'm the worthless adopted brother no one cares about!"

Arya rolled her eyes, "Brother, this is really not the time to bring up family issues." Theon was acting stranger than usual; she knew but forgot to do something about it, it needed to be maintained, fast, before Greyjoy gets himself killed.

He closed his eyes and opened them again, with determination, "I regret nothing!"

"DUDE!"

The girl didn't hesitate to translate, in Dothraki most like, Drogo told her something with a deadly smile and she nodded, "He says he'll rip your heart out."

"Lovely."

Jon forced him toward Bran and fixed his hair, "Listen, tell him that he's a drunken idiot and he doesn't need to make such a fuss about it."

"I would," silver hair shrugged, "But it won't make much difference."

"We're so dead." Bran whispered, struggling to maintain Theon in a straight position.

Arya looked behind her, hearing numerous steps, the rest came in a hurry; Aegon, Pyp, Grenn and Sansa behind them, who led them there.

"Pull him out of here before he gets himself killed!" Sansa urged.

"Too late, sis." Arya said.

Aegon kept staring at the girl, wide eyed. "Aunt?"

The girl looked at him in recognition, "Oh Aegon. What's up?"

"My life on the line," Theon answered for her. "Not much."

"What are you doing here, Dany?!" Aegon said.

The girl turned to her khal, telling him something with a proud smile. He smiled back, not for what she said, but her bright face most like, and he turned to Aegon nodding, "Yo." He greeted _way_ too casually.

Arya held her laugh.

"He's my soulmate, nephew." Dany said.

"Nephew? _Nephew_?!" Theon almost yelled, "I've been hitting on Aegon's _aunt_?!"

"Yes." Aegon seemed mesmerized with the fact too, staring at the Khal. "N-nice to meet you."

"Oh _fuck_ me. I need therapy after this."

"You needed therapy way before that, brother." Arya told him.

"Just leave the retard alone." Grenn said lazily, "Just look at him, everyone's satisfied."

"Yes, please." Jon added, "He'll never do it again, we promise."

"Not after finding out she's Egg's _aunt_." Greyjoy added, and Bran shushed him desperately.

"Not him, he's not satisfied." Dany said, translating everything Drogo was saying, "Drogo says he'll let you go, but he wants an arm."

"What for?! One of his is three times as big."

"For the love of all gods, shut the fuck up." Pyp yelled at Theon.

"To break it obviously," Dany explained, "Or a leg it makes no matter, he says."

"He has fascinating terms, that one."

Jon pushed Theon away, "Tell him no, one more punch anywhere, his choosing."

Drogo smiled and spoke, "Arm or die."

"You're a shit negotiator."

"Do you _really_ want me to translate that?" Dany didn't seem to pity Theon anymore. There was more Dothraki talking, she resumed, "If you didn't give an arm, he'll kill all of you, figuratively speaking... I hope." She turned to him and then back, "And they'll hurt the girls too, he says – wait, you will?"

He nodded.

Her brothers didn't seem fazed, until they realized Sansa was there too, Jon's eyes widened. "Theon, give him that fucking arm!"

"No way! I like to keep them both thank you very much." Theon murmured, "Tell him to leave poor Sansa alone, Arya though... he's welcome to go all out, but I'm not sure who's gonna hurt who."

"How godsdamn considerate." Arya said angrily, looking at them; they were all huge in build, three they were, she can maybe dance her way and perform a couple techniques here and there, certainly applying damage to one of them, but no way in hells she can do anything with the UFC fighter. She glanced at their own side, Aegon, Grenn, and Jon might stand a chance, Pyp and Bran were out of the question, and certainly not the half dead Greyjoy who brought them in this mess to begin with.

"Aunt, how could you be taking _his_ side in this?!" Aegon was pleading.

"He's my soulmate."

"I'm your blood!"

"Blood doesn't hold me at night."

Drogo blabbered some curses, and nodded to the three behind him and suddenly they were all on the move toward Bran and Theon, Arya and Jon made their way in front of them immediately, Grenn pushed Sansa back, and the confrontation began.

Arya never saw who threw the first punch, but all she knew that chaos and screams erupted and that the smallest man on the right was her target. _Swift as a deer, quiet as a shadow_. Arya lowered herself on the ground and recalled everything that Jaqen taught her, she took a deep breath and put a hand on the floor, fixing her foot and slid the other in the air as hard and steady as she can, the man with the opal eyes didn't even see her there. He was too strong to fall completely, but his right leg failed him and in an instant he was kneeling on the floor; that was all the chance she needed. _Fear cuts deeper than swords_ , Arya kicked him with all the strength she had on the groin and he groaned in pain, he aimed to grab her but she pulled his arm away and twisted it, earning a shout. Arya secured him, aiming for a final jap on the back of his neck but a door bursting and a shout stopped her.

"What the bloody fuck is going on in here?!" An alpha voice beamed over them, and the fighting stopped for a second.

Arya took a moment to absorb the surrounding, Drogo was holding Jon and Grenn' s heads, each with one arm very easily, Aegon and another man were against the wall, the brick falling behind the silver haired boy's head, Pyp and another one were on the floor, Pyp with a lot of bruises and she suspected that most of the shouts came from him, whilst the last follower was grabbing Theon and pulling him off of the floor and Bran didn't really seem to mind. With all that, Dany was just standing there with complete indifference, like she was watching an episode of _Top Gear_ on cable.

Sansa was standing against the corner, with a look of pure horror. She saw the man entering and her face lit up, "S-Sandor?"

He walked in angry steps, but once he was in front of Sansa the expression switched in a magical way, and the face he wore now was worried and almost nervous, he breathed heavily and cupped her face with his large hand, but oh so delicately. "Are you okay, Little Bird? Did anyone touch you? If there's one scratch on you I swear to the gods-"

The redhead's face was incomparable. If anyone looked at her they'll know that she'd seen a real knights in shining armor for the first time in her life, she gulped and shook her head, "N-no I'm okay." She glanced at her right, to the one who was holding Theon, "This one pushed me roughly though."

He smiled, "Oh he did?" Sandor let her go as smoothly as he can, and made his way to the holder, grabbing him from the head like he was a puppet, and smashed him onto the wall once, twice, thrice, until blood leaked on the brick, "You did?" he dropped him, unconscious.

 _So much for the knight in shining armor for a few short moments..._

"Let them go, Drogo." Sandor growled.

Drogo pushed his two victims on the floor, and grinned at the huge man, and to Arya's surprise, Sandor was evidently taller.

"You know each other?" Arya found herself asking aloud, the man at her hold tried to free himself, but she twisted his arm harder and he cried in pain, submitting.

Drogo answered her, "Cage fighting days, he says." Dany translated.

"Screw Mag, this guy is my new favorite brother in-law." Theon said breathlessly, earning glares from everyone.

As if he heard his own name, Gendry walked in a similar hurry, the color gone from his face. "Arya?" he looked at her, horrified and yet relieved at the same time.

Theon laughed.

 _What is this? A soulmate intervention?_ "I'm the least you should be worrying about, trust me." She twisted the arm more, giving out a yell of pain as proof.

"For the sake of R'hllor, woman, let the guy go, _now_." He told her angrily, Arya rolled her eyes and released her opponent, only to leave him to moan on the floor. Although out-heighted by both giants, Gendry still was equally big. "Look here, Hulk, leave the girls alone. You can have the fuckboy."

"Hey, I'm right here!" Theon yelled.

"Bugger that." Sandor grabbed her brother, and punched him in the mouth so hard blood split on the floor and Arya saw two teeth knocked out as tribute. Everyone made numerous sounds varying from _'Ah'_ , _'Oh'_ and _'Ouch'_ some muttered _'Serves him right'_ and _'Finally someone did it'_ , the latter being Arya. "Here, Done?"

Drogo said something with a mouth twitch, and signaled his friends to draw back.

"Well, fuck you too." Sandor answered.

Dany seemed amused. "You speak Dothraki?"

"No, but I speak faces."

Drogo forced Arya's target up and obviously mocked him, the man walked in shame, glaring daggers at her as he picked up his fallen comrade and made his way out with the rest. No one seemed harmed, except Theon and poor Pyp, though the wounded egos stroke everyone.

Gendry gave her one more disapproving look and walked inside with a sigh, Arya made sure her siblings were okay and when the guys picked up the _fuckboy_ and started for their cars, she walked inside as well.

She noticed that Daario was back and serving all alone, under the watchful supervision of their boss, their eyes locked and Arya flashed him a very pretty middle finger, going for the fridge and taking out two beer bottles and made her way to the back where she found Mag exhausted against a wall on the floor. The back hallway was empty but for supply boxes and faded lights, but pleasurably cold and isolated that the music was barely heard.

She handed him a beer and took a place next to him, carefully and not too close, her body wasn't ready for another sudden contact. They sat there in silence until they both exhaled a noisy breath of exhaustion, she drank. "I don't get paid enough for this."

Gendry didn't look her way, "Don't do that shit again."

"With those people around me? I'll make no such promises."

"No seriously," he turned, devastating blue eyes shooting through her. "Don't you ever do that again."

She shrugged, "Why would you even care?"

"Gods, you're so different." He said, frustrated. "Why can't you be more like your sister?"

 _Not that shit again._ She moved to stand up, hearing it over and over again in her life, Arya never wished to hear those words from her own soulmate; it didn't make it any less painful.

He instantly blocked her way with his arm, Arya sat back, avoiding contact like it was poison. "That came out _really_ wrong. Gods forbid I don't want you to be anything like her, what I meant... that you could've avoided the fight like she did... that's what I tried to say."

 _He was saying the truth._ Somehow the seriousness of his tone was starting to weary her, "If you ever compare me to Sansa again I'll pierce a sword through your heart, with the pointy end."

"Sensitive subject isn't it?" he laughed, "You're so different. Special, I mean. Though I annoy you all the time, but it is really not intended, it's just a reaction I guess, from all the frustration you give me."

"I don't give you shit."

"Shh, I'm talking." He waved her away, "Almost all the time girls throw themselves at me like a band of leeches, and I fucking hate it. You... you are something else, you are amusing, and tough, and that I'm really thankful for. You're the first female that treated me this way... you're like... aah, a buddy, I guess." _Buddy-zoned? Huh? Wait til Theon hears this_ , she'll never see the end of it. Arya resisted the urge to slam her hair against the cold wall. "Even if you are my soulmate."

Arya wanted to clean her ear or pinch herself, ask him to say it again for confirmation but she knew what's said was said. Her heart was thundering against her chest, a group of birds desperately trying to flee out of her ribcage. _No. No way. He doesn't know. He's not supposed to._ "I-I'm not your soulmate!"

"Sure you're not, if so, take off your clothes and show me your tattoo." He dared her, his eyes more serious than his words, "I'd show you mine, but it's on my cock."

 _No. Don't. Don't even_ think _of how it would look there. Don't._ But she found her mind going there anyway. _Godsdamnit!_ "How did you.."

" _How_?" He laughed, "Your words m'lady, they left a mark on me remember? _Shit_. I keep forgetting you're a lady, that thing about cocks, I should've never said it. It's actually on my chest-"

"How? My words... I'm sorry... how could they?"

"What are you talking about?" his eyebrows closed together, like she was mumbling nonsense, "You words, Arya, _'Holy fucking Maggish hotness'_ very foul but very expected from your vile tongue, but I grew to like them, what's Maggish by the way?"

 _No._

 _No!_

 _NO!_

"No!" she found herself yelling, "My words- No! They were _I'm sorry_ , my words were _I'm sorry_!"

"Lord of Light, Arya, how drunk were you?" he leaned against the wall, and pulled the hem of his T-shirt over his shoulders, Arya sucked in her breath, glad but also mortified by the tattoo on his right chest that distracted her from all that defined muscles he had on him. ' _Holy fucking Maggish hotness'_ it said.

And once again, Jaqen was mocking her. _A girl doesn't even know what she's saying when she's overwhelmed, a man knows._

Arya found herself up and walking toward the door, fleeing from him and the humiliation it came with it. _He knew. He knew all along._

Quick as snake, Gendry grabbed her by the arm and whirled her around, pulling her into him, the electricity and pleasure came back and suddenly she found herself wanting to scream, the feeling was almost nonsense. "Holy shit," he stared at his hand again, "You feel that too don't you?"

She wanted to free herself but again the idea of hurting him got automatically dismissed.

"You knew, right?" his eyes pleading, "Please tell me you knew."

"Of course I fucking knew!"

"Oh thank god," he closed his eyes, "Thank _god_. I thought I was crazy, you were ignoring me, I desperately tried to get your attention but goddamnit you were unmoved to every attempt."

The flirting. The teasing. The fights.

 _Even if he never shows interest in girls-_

 _Why is he only like that with you?-_

 _Our brother wouldn't like that-_

And Arya released herself when she saw the chance and ran... ran in hopes of finding out this is a dream, a dream that was too good to be true.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Her Brothers  
**

Bran let out another miserable shout, Summer was again startled, but laid back once he knew it was only his master's sorry excuse of gaming skills. "Arya! I need help!"

"Can't I've got three on my back!"

"Holy fucking Mother! I'm dying! I'm fucking dying!"

"Use the phone! Use the freaking _phone_!"

"It's useless! My backup does a shit job at backing me up! I'm fucked in all dimensions!"

Arya's soldier was hiding behind a broken boulder, she took fast calculations, ran outside like a lunatic, and shot three in the head, and kept running to where Bran was.

"Arya!"

"Hold the _fuck_ on!"

Bran was getting shot almost everywhere, four on his tails, his soldier's life was near its end when Arya's player showed up, shot them all, and there was a long moment of silence in the room after that.

"Well oops."

"Did you just-" Bran's jaw dropped, "Did you just KILL ME?!"

"It was a -"

"I thought you were my sister!"

"I'm sorry."

"We were on the SAME TEAM!" he cried, throwing his controller on the floor. "How could you do this to me?!"

"Now, now," Arya pointed at him with a finger, "What did we say about blowing off your steam on controllers?"

"Ugh!" He stared at the screen in disbelieve, "Oh freaking great, 12 against 31 kills! How did you even score that high?!"

"Double kills, and headshots." she fluttered her lashes at him.

"Fuck it. COD is not my shit. Let's hit Fifa."

Arya shook her head, "I don't do football."

"But we just played Rocket League." He waved the CD at her face.

"Well it had cars in it, you know I'm weak to cars, still no to Fifa." She frowned, "The idea of grown men fighting over some balls is so messed up in my head."

He grunted, "The Last Of Us?"

"You can't keep up."

"Alright, got it, Minecraft."

"I don't play that kid stuff," she rolled her eyes, shutting down the console, "If you swear a couple more hundred times in the next gameplay the Mother herself would come down on us for judgment day. And even worse, _our_ mother would come up here and see Summer, and we'll get in big shit."

At the sound of his name, Summer came to lay next to her brother, Bran stroke him behind the ears, "I need him with me tonight, we'll sneak him out tomorrow."

When they were children, Arya and her siblings always had their pet Wolf-Dogs about them, around the house, and even outside where they went, it was a blessing. Arya was close to Nymeria as well, but since the Joffrey incident, she and Jory convinced everyone that the dog fled, but she hid her very well so no one would now. Regardless, after a few years the dogs grew evidently bigger, and more hostile by the day, each of them was the size of a pony, which was scary to normal people. And when a man brought a gun, a gift for their father, Shaggydog attacked savagely when he pointed at Rickon and he was hospitalized, fortunately the man didn't lose his entire arm but Catelyn permitted the dogs to step a foot inside the mansion ever since, keeping them safely away outside in the dog houses, to everyone's dismay.

" _You_ are going to sneak him out, keep me out of it."

He sighed tiredly, rubbing his eyes. The sleeping pills had started to take affect, Arya noted. She threw them in his drink without his knowledge, she knew her brother wouldn't sleep soon at his own will, she was in the exact same situation a few months ago. "Thanks for doing this by the way."

"I promised I'll spend the night with you until you sleep, didn't I?" she pushed the empty chips bags and drained Mountain Dews and sat comfortably, hands on her thighs, "Now, let's talk."

"You're a shit talker." He said matter-of-factly.

"And you're a shit gamer," she shot big. "Ahhm, I don't know what to tell you exactly, but soulmates most of the time are the people that we expected the least, trust me on that."

Arya was trying to give the best advice she can come up with, but Bran seemed more depressed than he already was in the beginning of that evening, "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Why would you? It's beautiful." She blurted.

"It's... complicated for me."

"Look, here's what we're gonna do." She offered, "You're gonna either cry happily like Robb and Sansa did when they got theirs, or you're gonna be puzzled and pissed like me and Jon, there's no in-between. Now, if it was the latter, I'll take you out to practice our drills, how about that?"

"Why? So I would get my ass kicked harder than bloody COD? No thank you." He immediately rejected.

"I haven't done shooting in a long time, my skills are a bit rusty." Even that didn't convince him, she added. "Alright, how about we take Theon?"

"No way. I'll get my ass double kicked, that guy is a fucking eagle eye with a gun, besides," Bran seemed disgusted, "He even hit on my Trainer the last time I took him."

"Oh god... Osha?" They both made a face. "Okay... uh, let's talk more. Come on, fill me in."

He sat straight, thinking for a long time before he dared to speak, "Arya, there's this girl..."

 _Of course there is._ "And?"

"I-I think she's my soulmate, I have a strong feeling, but in the same time I don't wanna put my hopes up too high, it will destroy me if she isn't."

Arya narrowed her eyes, "How would you know?"

He gulped, she could swear there was a hint of a blush on his cheeks, "I've been in love with her for years."

"In love?" she said it like it was something in another language she couldn't understand. Arya's experience with relationships was a tragic failure throughout her young years.

Her longest one was with Edric Dayne, handsome kid he was, she enjoyed it while it lasted, for entire _two_ weeks before she dumped him, that was a record, she got sick of him telling her stories of Jon's late mother Wylla. Arya loved her brother the most, but the idea of Eddard having a mistress before her mother never seemed to sink in, she believed Jon popped up from thin air more than she believed her father had a relationship. There were a few more casuals, and more rejections, Mycah whom she had him friendzoned before he even finished his confession, that ratty creature Frey, whom she never even caught his name, thinking about it made her cringe. But there was one big crush in her teenage years, in which she will never talk about or even dare to remember. Although, none of those made her feel as a hormonal girl like Gendry did, she pushed that thought away immediately, even if it seemed to come back oft as not.

Bran continued, oblivious to her inner turmoil. "She makes me feel so strange, and, and _weird_. And godsdamnit, when I touch her... fireworks... fire-fucking-works everywhere." He circled his hand in the air like a complete retard, "Mag makes you feel like that too, right? _Right_?!"

 _The signs_. Unlike Theon, Bran and the others never made the connection between her obsession with BB5 and the Mag situation, so it was a safe secret, so far. "Alright first of all, I don't interact with him that much so I wouldn't know." _Oh you pathetic liar._ "- And does this girl have a name?"

He looked around, like he was searching for people hidden in the furniture, "No soul must know, _especially_ Theon."

"Look, I don't stay up late with our very chatty brother on snacks watching episodes of _Skins_ and sharing gossip okay? Now spill it out."

He looked around again, and Arya suspected he was having second thoughts.

" _Spill_ it out."

"Okay," he breathed in. "Itsjojensbiggersister."

Arya blinked, "It's so genital stripper? What are you talking about? Speak English, boy."

He sighed. "It's... Jojen's..." he closed his eyes, "Bigger... sister."

Arya's eyes widened. "Wait hold up. Maya?-"

"Meera."

"Dude!" she almost yelled, but took a moment to think. "Wait, she's the cool girl, right?"

He glared at her, "How many female friends do I have for gods' sake!"

"B-but she's like, what, seven years older than you?"

"Five, Arya, five." Bran was immediately on defense mode. "She feels it too, I know it. But she always plays oblivious because of the age gap!"

"Don't go making wild assumptions, now." She put her hand in front of her, "I wish it is her, but a bigger part of me doesn't."

"Such support, thank you so much." He rubbed his eyes again.

"Alright then, cougar hunter, it's your bedtime," she waved him to get up, "Come on, now, the pills had started to kick in, sleep sleep sleep."

"Wait, you gave me pills?! I thought that was Jojen's weed-" he looked at her, horrified, "I did _not_ just say that. And you did _not_ hear a thing."

"What thing?" she smiled innocently, pushing him into bed and putting the blanket on him despite his protest. "Use Summer as a snuggling pillow, should I summon Old Nan for some bedtime stories?"

"Get out." He turned aside to where Summer was laying, occupying a massive space on the double bed.

Arya laughed as she walked in the hallway; she was trying to ease him off, in fact, with all what Bran said, this Meera might probably be his soulmate, age did not really matter. She knew that Gendry was older than her too, but that stopped nothing. _Again_ , she thought desperately. This man would not leave her thoughts, even with all the automatic reject reaction her mind had set against him. Arya was still not believing the results of their last encounter, sometimes she would rewind what he told her, she memorized every word, every face expression, every move, and _touch_. And still couldn't believe it happened.

 _He knew_. She told herself again, _he knew_ all _along_. Even with what Gendry said, desperately trying to confirm she had the knowledge of being his soulmate, but a part of her, feared that he was avoiding it. He hated highborn ladies, he probably knew and kept it for himself because he couldn't accept her, so he waited that long until things got out of hand. Arya knew that they were different, she had too many people behind her, why would a guy as Gendry Waters want a highborn lady, as demanding, and repulsive girl for his soulmate? His dream woman was probably a pretty girly blond waitress with nothing that ties her up. Her thoughts went back to the girls he flirted with, even if he told her that he hated it, why would he interact with them in the first place? If not for having such a soulmate that he had nothing in common with? He said he wanted to get her attention. But why the heck would he do that? She'd never flirt with a guy to get his attention, she _feared_ his attention.

She punched the wall from frustration, and her knuckles cried in pain. Arya's phone vibrated, cutting off her thoughts, and she pulled it out, narrowing her eyes at Jaqen's fourteen hours late reply.

 **Me: You.. u fucking misleading fuck! Do I really talk that much when I'm under pressure?!**

 **Instructor Creep: Yes, lovely girl ;)**

She groaned, she was drunk on anger when she texted him that, still not believing she blurted out her thoughts of _Maggish hotness_ aloud to her godsdamn soulmate. Arya had started wishing her words were the dull _I'm sorry_ , but it was too late _. Appreciate what you have_ , her father always told her. But as Ned's word always did, they give their meaning way too late.

She messaged him an angry: **Wow such a fast reply, what are you on? Internet fucking Explorer?!** and opened the door to her room, it took her a while to realize that something was amiss, or _apresent_ , to put it better in words.

She found Theon lying on her bed very comfortably with a bag of Lays in his hand, pointing at her Tele, "Just missed the best thing that happened in this show for four seasons, Freddie's finally dead. Thank the gods." He drank a soda, and winced when the can hit his bruised lip.

She looked at the screen and was about to burst in laughter. _Stay up late with Theon on snacks watching episodes of_ Skins. The fucking irony.

Her adopted brother didn't even seem fazed with Robb's intense, Ned style scolding they all received yesterday. The news reached him faster than lightning and by the time Arya arrived at the mansion, all her siblings and the friends involved were sitting in the game room, mostly drunk, and Westerling using first aid on what was left of Theon's face.

"One night... _one_ night alone and you managed to make a fuck up with the size of Gregor the fucking Mountain!" Robb had yelled the moment Arya joined them on the cushions, and started with Jon first. "How did you let this happen?! I put my trust in you!"

Jon was putting plasters on his forehead, and pointed a finger at Theon, with no additional words needed.

He moved on to the silver haired man. "Aegon, you _fuck_! She was your aunt, why the heck didn't you persuade her?!"

Aegon followed Jon's league, and pointed at Theon with a glare.

"Arya, for gods' sake! How many times did I tell you not to get into man fights, huh?! You better be kissing my feet so father won't find out." Arya already had her finger pointing at Theon before he even started talking, "And where the heck was Tom in all this?!"

She pursed her lips, "I may or may not told him to take the day off..."

"You can't just do that! He doesn't work for you; his job is to protect you, not to be your freaking slave!" He was about to start with Sansa but the look on her face made him think otherwise, so he turned to the rest with gritted teeth. "Bran, Grenn, Pyp, I _specifically_ told you fuckers not to get the idiot out of your sight, and what do you do? You let him go on a godsdamn death battle with a bloody UFC fighter!"

Pyp was passed out, Green shrugged and pointed at Theon.

"Stop it!" Robb had yelled in misery.

"You know, Robb, if you came with us this wouldn't have happened," Bran said defensibly, and everyone nodded in agreement, "You control him better than we do... well, you try."

He shot daggers at Theon, "I will not have myself involved with this... with this... _bloody_ creature of a brother anymore."

"I'll tell you why, Bran." Theon mumbled, "Because he's _whipped_." He hissed in pain when Jeyne squeezed his bruise too hard, on purpose.

"You always go out with us when she's not around," Grenn said.

"Well, technically speaking, you do _everything_ that Jeyne wouldn't let you do when she's not around." Arya added.

"Stop it! I'm not fucking whipped!" Robb finally yelled at his highest, "And FYI, Jeyne _never_ tells me what to do." He crossed his arms.

"Honey, lower your voice, someone might come in." Jeyne said, too focused on what she was doing.

"Yes, sorry babe." His voice dropped to a whisper.

Everyone sniggered, _'Whiiiiiiped!'_ Theon yelled.

That was when Jeyne Poole entered the room, she absorbed the scene and had on a weird expression when she saw Theon's condition, it instantly faded and she glared at Sansa, "What the fuck Sans, you did not _even_ bother to invite me?"

The moment he heard her whining; Theon had enough, he got up with a grunt, on his sloppy feet and somehow made it out of the door and into his room, more miserable than Arya had ever seen him.

And here he was, one day later, and his face looking even worse than she imagined it would be.

"You look like shit," she walked into the bathroom and back, with an ointment for her bleeding bruises.

"Well, you always look like Wednesday from Addam's family, that's a fact for you." he retorted, and sighed at the television, "What the fuck happened to this show?"

"They killed Chris, and it went downhill from there," she sat on a chair and applied the ointment, not liking to remember the merciless way they killed off her favorite character, such a perfect unreal human being he was. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your humble visit?"

"Wait, so I can't come and watch a show with my dear sister?"

"This episode is three years old."

He shrugged, "The gothic chick in there has a great ass."

"You never call me dear sister unless you need something."

"Why would I want anything from you?" he said, "You're shit at times of need."

"Thank you, I work hard for that." She took the remote and turned off the show she was sure Theon wasn't really watching. "What do you want, Greyjoy?"

"Look," he sat up, his casual act fading instantly, "This shit has been fucking torture, I don't think I can handle it much longer, even Theon has a limited amounts of _'I-don't-give-a-fuck'_ s. You feel me?"

"Presuming I know what the heck you're talking about..." she rolled in her chair, "Is this related to the fact that you're being a massive dick lately – more than usual?"

"I'm about to drop a bomb here, okay?" He moved in a hurry, and stood in front of her, "I think - and don't freak out on that - I think it's related to the fact I've been a dick my _whole_ _life_."

"Are you going to talk to me about your DNA format?" she said in indifference, "That's all I can think of. You're born with it, I'm afraid."

"Shhhh, just listen. I want a listener, and _quiet_." He almost looked nervous, much to Arya's surprise. "And utmost secrecy."

She raised an eyebrow, "From a scale of one to Eddard, how serious are you?"

He rubbed his damaged jaw, "I'd say... a Stannis."

Her eyes widened instantly, she got up and closed the door, almost panicking. "Start talking."

"This is serious shit, Ar, life or death situation here; my life, your death." He had his hands in front of him, moving it way too much.

"Oh gods... Oh gods... oh gods..." she said excitedly, "Should I bring my video camera? Fucking hells _the_ Theon Greyjoy is about to make serious statement since... well, forever."

"Fuck off and take this seriously, I'm only telling you since Jon is useless and Robb already knows and unleashed his wrath on me."

"Wait. _This_ is what Robb is being pissed about?" she leaned in, "Gods, Theon, just _speak_! I'm dying in here!"

"No one, Ar, I repeat, NO ONE must know. Robb didn't find it out, not entirely... he just... saw something that he shouldn't have. You owe me, remember?"

"Greyjoy, you either start story telling now or I'll torture the truth out of you!"

He paced back and forth in the room, debating in his head. "Fuck it. This is a bad idea!" he started heading for the door, but quick as a leopard, Arya blocked his way with a struggle, and soon it became a cat fight. "You can't leave me hanging like this!"

"I can't, woman! The only creatures that know are me and myself, and I!"

"That's why you need to tell me!"

"I'll start using force, ha!"

"Stop being a stubborn bitch!" she pushed him.

He stopped, sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and inhaled a deep breath. "Alright, screw this. Come sit with me."

Arya did what she was told in light speed. And waited eagerly but had a moment of doubt when she saw Theon pulling his shoes off, "Wait, dickhead, you're not gonna wave your stinky feet at me like you used to when we were children, are you? That prank is old."

"Silence!" he said, "And hey, did you notice when I stopped doing that?"

She was taken aback with the random question. "I 'don know-"

That's when Jon walked in on them, bags under his eyes, "Hey Ar – what the _heck_ are you two doing?"

They stared at each other, Theon shook his head in panic, "The idiot was about to do the stinky feet prank," she said automatically.

"I thought you stopped doing that shit, man." Jon frowned.

Theon smiled, "Olds habits die hard."

"What is it?" Arya asked very impatiently, Jon chose the worst time to interrupt them.

"Okay, since Theon is here too..." he closed the door, and sat on the chair against the bed. "I need help with my soulmate."

"Hold up," Arya stopped him, "Why are you talking to _us_ about soulmates?"

"Wait lemme rephrase that," Theon added, "Why _the fuck_ are you talking to _us_ about soulmates?"

He stared at them and shook his head, "Screw this, I'll ask Robb." He walked out of the room.

When he left Theon said, "See this, in three seconds he'll realize that he's an idiot and that Robb is not home. Three... two..."

Jon came back, "I really need help, okay?!"

"One."

"What is it Jon?" Arya was desperate to give him a solution. "Did you find her?"

"No, and I need to before I lose my wits," he sat down again, "You two are good at stalking, give me some ideas."

"Hey, I don't stalk, I research." Theon corrected.

Jon ran a hand through his hair, "My research has gone ashtray, I know every single redhead from Riverlands and no YKNJS."

"You lost me after K, too many letters." Arya said.

"You know nothing Jon Snow, in simple." Theon told her. "Look, Romeo, it is obvious now, she's not from Riverlands."

"You think?" Jon said, confused.

Arya rubbed her face, he really does know nothing, "Was there anything else, Jon? Besides from the red hair, for god's sake give us a hint or something."

"I already told you, I-" Jon's phone started ringing, he picked it up, "Speak of the devil, it's Robb."

Theon snatched the phone. "Hello, this is penis enlargement clinic, how may I help you?" he answered with a girly voice.

Jon took the phone back with a punch, Theon hissed at his shoulder muttering _'Domestic abuse!'_ , "What is it? – No I didn't let him out... I swear I didn't, he's -" he looked at Theon then to Arya, a hand covering the mic, "What is he doing?"

"He's admiring Effy's ass." She said, and Theon nodded at that.

"He's admiring Fifi's ass," Jon told Robb, "No – I don't know... gods Robb, we're in the middle of something here, ease up with the Ned act." He hung up.

"It's Effy, Jon." Arya said.

"Yes, Effy's glorious ass. _It is known_." Theon said comically.

"Your Dothraki accent sucks," Arya told him.

"An accent," Jon's eyes widened, "Yes! A bloody accent!"

"What?"

"She had a thick accent, a... a... a..." he circled his hand, and finally snapped his fingers "A Redneck accent!"

"A Wildling?" Arya realized, "A redheaded wildling girl, who would've thought?"

"Nope, they don't call them that there," Theon said, "They say the girls with red hair are _'Kissed by fire'_."

"Kissed by fire." Jon stood up. "Yes, a wildling kissed by fire..." he rushed out of the room.

"Now with that taken care of," Theon turned, bringing out his foot on the bed. "Well like the two of you had said, I stopped doing that prank years ago."

Arya nodded, the anticipation coming back.

"Well," he greeted his teeth, pointing at his ankle, "That's why."

What she saw was more shocking than Theon's attempt to flirt with Cersei Baratheon, which was by far the most disgusting thing her brother ever did, but not half as shocking at what was in front of her. "Holy shit!" She stood, walking nowhere and shouting. "Holy fucking shit, Theon!"

"No, you're not going anywhere," he pointed at her, panicking himself, "Sit down, Stark, _sit_ down."

"You... you..."

"Yes."

"Seven godsdamn hells!" she sat down, her feet failing her, "When did this happen?!"

"Oh I don't know, sis. It usually happens at the morning of your eighteenth fucking nameday!"

"You have a soulmate!" she did not believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.

"Glad you grasped that much." He nodded.

"You deceived the whole freaking kingdom!" she pointed at nothing and everything, "Who is she?"

He circled his thumbs together, looking for the first time in his life, anxious. "It's really not that hard of a guess if you think about it."

"Who?! You flirt with everything that walks!" she had no idea, no guess, nothing. It was like figuring out was inside H'ghar's head, which was impossible at any given situation. The words... they were _'I can be your friend.'_ Who the heck would want to be friends with Theon?

"She... for fuck sake... I was head over heels for her, and when I was fourteen I confessed, and she gave me a flat out rejection." Theon was explaining, angrily but evidently way more seriously than she ever imagined he would, "You know why? Cuz some bitch made a rumor about me fucking a servant girl – which was not true by the way – I was as virgin as Jon is right now, but _no_ , she believed them and threw me away like a piece of trash. So I thought, why the hell not? She thinks I'm an asshole, then I'll become one, to please her expectations."

"That's so messed up," she shook her head, "Who?!"

He didn't even seem to hear her, "Four years later, what do you know? She's my bloody soulmate, I prefer being tattooless my whole life than kiss her ass." He paused, "Actually, she has a lovely ass I won't mind – Fuck! Get it together, Greyjoy."

"Theon, _pleeeease_ tell me who she is before I kill myself." Arya begged.

"It's not hard, okay?!" He finally seemed to hear. Standing up, he started heading for the door. "I flirt with every girl right? Now how would I treat a girl that rejected me?"

Arya just needed a few moments to think alone. She waited... and waited... and the realization hit her like a Lightbringer sword. Theon flirted with everyone. It was known. The people he doesn't hit on are herself, and Sansa... and... "Holy shit!"

Arya rushed to his room and knocked like a nutcase when she found the door locked, "Open up! I know your secret!"

He cocked his head outside, "And what is that?"

"It's _Jeyne_ ," she almost yelled, "It's fucking Jeyne!"

"And what do you want now, missy, an award?"

She grabbed his collar, "You're the biggest liar in Britain."

"Such a badass title."

Gods. His soulmate was Jeyne, even thinking about it was surreal. She wished Jon's soulmate wasn't called Jeyne as well or she'll lose her mind. He didn't just not flirt with her, he _ignored_ her existence. He started acting strange from the first place since the day she arrived. He kept muttering nonsense about a girl when she was driving him back home that night. And the only time they talked to each other Theon seemed to pour his anger on the poor girl. Arya had no idea how she was blind to all this. "Does she know?"

"I don't know."

"What... what do you feel about her?"

"Let's see," he stroked his chin, a bad sign, something bad was coming. She knew. "I hate her, I wanna kill her, her existence bothers me. But at the same time, I fucking love her, she's all what I think about, and the only way I can have a decent orgasm is when she's inside my head." He took his head back inside, then out again quickly, "Both while masturbating _and_ having sex with someone." He shut the door at her face.

"Gods!" she punched the door. "You bloody prick! I won't be able to sleep for weeks with those images!"

Arya almost jumped, she heard a howl, not a wolf howl, but a human's, a one a man makes when he hears that the war had just ended. Theon opened the door again to see what was going on. Jon came in running like a maniac. "Ygritte!" he yelled on top of his lungs, "It's YGRITTE!" her brother jumped and planted kisses on her cheeks, "I love my siblings!" he ran downstairs.

"And no kisses for poor Theon," Greyjoy commented, "I'm telling you. If Robb is whipped, Jon is on his way to slavery."

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

"Riverlands!"

"I hope Mother of Dragons breaks your chains one day!" Theon yelled in the hallway.

"Fuck you!"

"Jon, it's near midnight." Arya told him, but her brother was long gone. She turned to her other brother. "Go get him."

"Why me?" Theon protested, "I don't do well with halfwits, you know that."

"Just go!" she picked up her phone when it buzzed, she was surprised that Jaqen replied so fast. That was a first. But the number almost gave her a heart attack, and the message continent developed the attack to an almost heart failure.

 **Bullhead: I'm outside. We need to talk.**

Her brothers were outside.

Again, Arya found herself running because of Gendry Waters, this time _to_ him not away from him. Before her siblings interact with him and make more tragedies than the ones already made so far.

* * *

 **[A/N]**

'Chris' from the TV show _Skins_ is played by Joe Dempsie, the same actor who plays Gendry in Game of Thrones *evil laugh* #HadTo

On another note, thank you all so much for the support, you have no idea how much it mean to me! And no worries I friggin hate Author notes more than you do so I don't make one unless my life depends on it, and Joe IS my life so *~*


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Cherry Wine  
**

She sprinted faster than lightning, for once realizing how many useless stairs they had in this mansion. She skipped the last four steps and almost stumbled, but regained her balance with instinct and continued the marathon she and her brothers were having. Septa Mordane was yelling at the boys and looked more displeased with the sight of her, "Stop running like dimwits. You're a lady!"

"Gods! Go pray in a sept or something!" was Arya's answer to her, though she herself was praying, praying that the guards didn't let Gendry inside, one conversation with her idiot siblings and she was sure they'll shame her forever.

She went through the door and out in the gardens where she saw Theon dragging the frantic Jon back, with a struggle, yelling, "Calm your freaking tits lover boy, what do you think you'll do at this time?!"

"My tits are calm, my balls are not!"

Arya joined in to calm him down. "Jon, come on, you're the sensible one here, just calm down!"

"It will be a four hour drive, nothing!" Jon slid from Theon's grip easily, and stood stubborn as a rock. "I have to see her, okay?

"The Kingsroad is dangerous now, wait until the morrow and we'll get you a flight."

"I'll _die_ by the morrow."

Theon rolled his eyes, "I don't give a shit what you do unless it's not now, who do you think Ned Junior will blame after he finds out you went? That's right fucktard, me, his personal punching bag."

"Wow, it's fascinating how you divert the attention towards you so easily," Arya told him in annoyance, then she put her hands on Jon's arms and tried to talk calmly. "Just go inside, have some wine, get drunk, and wait til we figure this ou-" Her breathing was cut in her throat, the gods, as always, were deaf to her prayers, she saw Tom leading the Bull inside and telling him something, Gendry smiled and made his way to them, alone, their eyes locked and he looked at the trio with irritation. Arya tightened her grip on Jon like he was the only thing that was keeping her standing.

"Wait, you're actually telling me to go get drunk? What kind of a fucked up advice is that?!" Jon was saying.

"I consent to what she said, I had the same idea," Theon said, "Great minds think alike."

"Hey, remember when I said that I love my siblings?"

"Yeah?"

"I take that back." He turned to his sister, "This bartender job is really getting into you, Arya."

"We have more important things to do," Arya had to do something, fast. She said the first excuse that came to her head. "Ahh, M-Mordane said that one of the dogs are on the leash."

That caught their attention, "Holy shit," Theon said with excitement, "Let them go, I say, I'll kill to see another one of Shaggydog's limp amputations, great stuff."

"For gods' sake you're beyond sick," Jon told him, "Which one?" he asked Arya.

She had to keep Jon here and distract him from the gardens at the same time, so the lie to be told was obvious, "Ghost."

Theon was disappointed, Jon's dog was well trained so no limbmania was going to happen, Jon looked serious, "Alright, let's talk to the guards and send a search team-"

He was about to turn but Arya stopped him quickly. "N-no, just go to the dog houses and make a quick check, let's not make a fuss!"

Jon frowned, but turned to Theon with a resolve, "Let's go, dog fan."

"Out of curiosity, can we set Shaggydog free just for a-"

"No!" They both yelled, and Jon started his way to the back gardens with his disappointed brother. Arya was glad they didn't notice that she didn't follow them and made her way to Gendry, quickly as she can.

He was standing behind impatiently, waiting and neglected. He looked tired, no, he didn't, but she felt his tiredness three feet away with her soulmate sensor. "Arya I-" He was trying to say but she dragged him forcibly to a place with a lot of bushes to hide him, being careful not to touch him directly.

"What the mega _fuck_ are you doing here?!" she spoke with the lowest human voice she can muster, bending down to hide herself.

He looked surprised by her reaction, then it turned into anger. "Well, I'm sorry to intrude m'lady. I think we have some things to settle since someone _mysteriously_ went missing yesterday."

"I didn't."

"Actually, yeah, you didn't, you fucking ran away like I was about to molest you!"

"N-no I wasn't, I-" Arya was distracted, seeing that Jon and Theon were already back and looking for her, probably realizing it was a false alarm. "My job ended today."

It wasn't a lie, Mycah grounding was over yesterday, which was a big slap to the face for Arya. She wanted to go back, work in the place she grew to love, and get to see him again, her body and soul _craved_ that, but she couldn't bring herself to go, she didn't have an excuse to, and frankly, Arya was very nervous to face him again.

"What the heck do you mean it _ended_ , jobs don't just do that! What are you looking at?-" He got more irritated, looking to where her brothers were standing, "Are those your friends?"

He didn't know they were her brother. Arya was relieved, "Yeah.. yeah.. _friends_." She lied, "Close friends of the family."

Her answer didn't seem to please him, not the slightest. "Why are you whispering, Arya? Why are we hiding?!"

"D-don't talk so loudly!" she panicked, "I don't want them to see you!"

"Oh," he almost yelled, his anger was rising and Arya could feel herself shivering from the feeling. "So that's the way of it, huh? I get it. I'm sorry to be an embarrassment for you, m'lady." he stood straight, growling and walking away from her.

Arya stayed there frozen, his reaction taking a while to be processed. _He got it wrong,_ she thought angrily, he _got it_ all _wrong_! "That's not what I meant!" she called, running to where he was.

He didn't stop. "Just stay the fuck away, okay? I won't come for you ever again, this was fucking stupid."

"Stop!" she was struggling to keep her pace with him, "Gendry, stop!" she grabbed him by the arm and it felt so wonderful for such a crucial moment, Arya was still fascinated by that feeling.

"Don't fucking touch me!" he pulled away immediately, turning to her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm lowborn and no fit to be kin to m'lady, I'm sorry for being who I am. I'm sorry to be your fucking _soulmate_!"

Arya never thought he'd say those things, or even think about them. But here he was, lashing out on her in pure fury. She wanted to calm him down, reassure him, fall for his embrace, but she was almost scared. "What are you talking about? I'd never-"

"You are embarrassed of me," he said it as a fact, "I can see it, I can hear it in your voice, and I can _feel_ it in my guts. So here, I'm leaving, have a good night with your _friends_." His voice was clear, he knew she was lying when she said they were. Godsdamnit, how could she forget that he knew when she wasn't saying the truth? He was right, but oh so wrong. She wasn't embarrassed of him, she was embarrassed of _them_.

"What's going on in here?" Jon's angry voice reached her as an alarm, "Ar, who's this?"

"Oooh shit." Theon looked at them, knowing exactly what was happening.

"I'm a nobody." Gendry said with a furious grunt, heading for the gates. "Good night, _Ar_."

Jon didn't like that answer, nor the way he was yelling at her before, Arya knew. Theon pulled him back when Jon tried to walk after him, giving him a shake of the head and pointing at their sister. She was standing there like a statue, her face made of stone and an empty gaze at the back of her soulmate who was leaving her in this state. She messed up, Arya realized, she messed up big time. He won't ever come for her again. He wasn't lying when he said that.

"Sister?" Jon called with concern.

"Arya? Hello?" Theon waved his hand in front of her, but she was not responsive, he understood. "Look, sis, it's a guy thing... they bottle shit up from you, then just burst it all at once."

That was so true it wasn't even funny.

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Jon seemed very confused.

Theon turned to him in irritation, "Dude, your soulmate must a godsdamn fortune teller or something. You know fucking nothing."

"I think I wanna cry." Arya said, emotionless.

"Yes," Theon nodded at her, "Cry in front him, guys are scared of that. It might work."

Jon was still out of the picture. "Seriously, what's-"

"But I didn't even do anything..."

"That's the thing, Ar, you girls claim that we fuck shit up, but girls _are_ fucked up. You turn us mad without even trying." Theon was lecturing, again, his words were so true and he wasn't realizing it.

She frowned, it was the first change of expression since Gendry left. "What an asshole though."

"Every man is an asshole at heart."

"Can someone fucking acknowledge my existence and tell me what in the seven hells is going on in here?!" Jon reached his limit.

Theon answered for her, "Look, buddy, it's not rocket science, what would leave our cutthroat sister in this condition? Still no ideas? I'll give you a hint, it consists of three letters, starts with M and ends with a G."

"Shit." Jon's jaw dropped. "Holy shit! That was _Mag_?!"

"Just look at him," Theon told Arya with a grin, pointing at his brother's mouth that was wide open. "Look at that stupid gaping face, we can put stuff in there."

Jon snapped out and slapped his hands away, Theon yelled _'Domestic abuse!'_ again, in pain. "You told _fuckboy_ and not me?!"

"That's right, Jon." Theon wrapped a hand around Arya's shoulder, in amusement. "I'm her new bestfriend. We tell _everything_ to each other."

"Fuck off." Arya told him, "I didn't tell him shit, he found out by his own."

"Yup, and she's back."

"You're not leaving right?" Arya asked.

"Like you said, we have more important things to do." Jon said, "Ghost is not out, but Summer is gone, we need to get him back before Catelyn makes an ado out of it. Then I'll go."

"Jon, do you even know where she lives?"

"Not exactly..."

"Do you know anyone that knows her?"

"Ahh..."

"Do you have any idea what you'll do?!"

"No,"

"Then stop this fucking farce and get some sleep!" she snapped.

"Way to go, detective Conan." Theon remarked.

"What about Summer?"

She put her hands in the air, "He's with Bran, obviously."

"Wait a second," Theon said, "You knew and you sent us there anyway?"

"Yeah, pretty much." She shrugged, "Imagine a conversation with you and Mag!"

"She has a point." Jon nodded, "What are you going to do?"

Arya was already on her way inside, she looked at her knuckles, "I'm going to destroy my hands."

She left them there, craving for her punching bag more than ever. But the moment she stepped into her room and came face to face with the poster of Gendry's face the urge was gone. She lied on her stomach and screamed into her pillow, still trying to understand what happened to him in there. There must be a reason for his outburst, why would he think she was embarrassed of him? He was perfect. Only twenty four, Gendry was already famous and getting job offers from production companies, he was going to travel the world, like she always wished she would. He might've been ill-mannered but the guy was ridiculously charming and good looking, he was everything she ever wanted, more accurately, she never wanted anything more until she met him.

Arya put on her headphones, and listened Lana Del Rey whispering to her soul, with a song she considered as her own bible.

 _I was in the winter of my life  
And the men I met along the road were my only summer  
At night I fell asleep with visions of myself dancing and laughing and crying with them_

 _When the people I used to know found out what I had been doing_ _  
How I had been living, they asked me why  
_ _But there's no use in talking to people who have a home_ _  
_ _They have no idea what it's like to seek safety in other people_ _  
_ _For home to be wherever you lie your head_

 _I was born to be the other woman_ _  
_ _Who belonged to no one_ _  
_ _Who belonged to everyone_ _  
_ _Who had nothing_ _  
_ _Who wanted everything_ _  
_ _With a fire for every experience and an obsession for freedom that terrified me to the point that I couldn't even talk about it_

She sighed, listening to every word and letting it wash over her. The song was about freedom and dreams, and an endless ride, but she found every line reminding her of Gendry. Unfortunately, Lana didn't give her a resolve, but she gave a determination. So she sought for help, and she knew just the man for the job.

"Hello?" Edric answered her at the third ring.

"Edric, I want to ask you something," she told him over the phone.

"Sure, Arry, go ahead."

"Alright, cut the bullshit." She sat up, "We both know you know."

"Okay," he sounded confused, "Let's pretend I know what you know I know, which I don't know if I know or not. So, what do I know?"

"What the bloody hells are you talking about?!"

"Sorry," he coughed, "Seriously, what do I know?"

"Who am I?"

"A-Arry-"

"You're Arya Stark." A familiar voice interrupted him, "Like for gods' sake that's a common fact."

"Mya?" Arya asked.

"Mya! We promised!" Edric said in panic, "Look Arya- I mean Arry, my sister is kinda drunk-"

"No I'm not. And you are a pathetic liar." she said.

"She's still on her third glass, four to go." Another voice said.

"Bella?" Arya was confused, "Hold up, am I on speaker?"

"No!"

"Yes, Lady Arya." Mya said.

"Who's there?"

"Everyone." Barra said, "Hi Arya."

Edric was horrified, "I'm sorry Arr-Arya, they made me do it."

"You fuckers knew?!"

"Gods. _Of course_ we knew," Mya said, "Like how dense do you think we common folk are?"

"Is Bullhead there?"

"Nope," Bella answered, "That dick ditched our sacred poker night."

"He said he had personal business." Barra explained.

"And since we all know how lifeless our brother is..." Mya added, "I take that he was with you."

Arya rubbed her face, "Since when did this happen?"

"Since his eighteenth nam-"

"I mean when did he tell you?!" Arya yelled.

She heard everyone laughing.

"Actually, lady," Bella was saying, "There's a very funny story about that."

"Cut that lady crap. I've known you guys for a while now!"

"Arya, listen." Edric said, "I'm not sure about you, but Gendry found out at the night of the Brotherhood concert. You have no idea how... troubled he was."

"Troubled?" Bella laughed, "The idiot looked like Melisandre herself had just given him a blowjob."

"Gods Bella, don't say it like that!" Barra interrupted, "Arya, he was shocked, like really shocked."

"It took all four of us to make him come on stage and make a decent performance," Mya said, "The fool wanted to go after you but you disappeared, thank the seven."

"She meant that in a good way," Barra added.

"Yeah she did," Edric said, "Arya, he was really ahhm.. anxious to meet you again after that."

"More like he was going batshit crazy for months."

"Stop talking like that in front of her!" Barra panicked, "Anxious, Arya, the word is _anxious_."

"What she said-"

"Stop sugar coating shit! Both of you!" Arya lost her temper, "Mya, you do the talking. The rest, _quiet_!"

"Bossy..." Bella muttered.

"Anyways," Mya said, "He was looking and asking about you and shit got really creepy at some point." There were some shushes but she continued anyway, "And finally, he gets to see you again, and guess how broken he was when you didn't even recognize him."

"What?" Arya was shocked by all this, it was like reading a biography of Gendry Waters, very exclusive.

"He thought you'd know and be all over him like he was, but well, life is a bitch."

"But now you know so that's off the book." Edric tried to be reassuring.

"And do you have any idea how much we heard his words over and over again?" Mya said in irritation.

"He kept on blabbering for weeks about how rude he was and his words weren't special and bla bla bla, ugh, that shit was so annoying." Bella told her, and the rest muttered in agreement.

"Shit." Arya was biting her nails now, listening to every word carefully. "But, I did..."

There was a long moment of silence, she heard some glasses clattering.

"YOU KNEW?!" they all screamed at once. Arya pulled the phone away at a safe distance.

"Oh gods, Arry." Edric said.

"How did you find it in your heart to do that?" Bella seemed angry.

"How cruel, Arya." Even Barra's soft voice was tense.

"Wow, I just lost all my regard of you." Mya was saying, "Well, if I had any."

"What?" Arya was startled, "What do you mean?"

"So you're basically telling us that all what Gendry said was true." Mya said.

"What did he tell you?!"

"He kept telling us that _'She must know'_ and _'She's ignoring me'_ and lots and lots of _'She doesn't see me fit for her soulmate'_ kinda shit." Bella said, making her tone gruff with every quote, trying to imitate his beautiful voice.

"Which turns out to be true." Mya told her.

"Shut up!" Arya had enough of this nonsense, she stood, clutching her phone in anger. "Fuck all of you! This is _not_ why I didn't tell him! Your asshole of a brother made himself look oblivious too, he didn't just ignore me, he used to flirt with every woman in his sight and make sure to rub it on my fucking face!"

"Holy gods." Barra said, in disbelieve.

Mya was laughing loudly.

"Are we talking about the same Gendry here?" Edric asked, seriously.

Bella said, "You know him, Arya, right? Our brother? Short black hair... blue eyes... bulky as fuck..."

"Fuck off!"

"Do all ladies talk like that?" Mya said in between laughter, "I'm crying, I'm actually crying."

"Look, Arya, our Gendry doesn't _flirt_ , okay. He doesn't have that setup programmed in him." Bella explained, "He might be nice, engage in an active conversation, be charming... even though he never knows it, but he doesn't intentionally flirt. I'm talking from experience here, he just gets red and really angry."

"Wait," Arya's mouth was open in disgust, "You flirted with your own _brother_?!"

"Hey, lady, I didn't know he was my brother back then, alright?" Bella said, "I don't do incest, what am I? Queen Cersei?"

"Didn't we agree to never mention that as long as we live, Bell?" Mya was disgusted as well.

"Wait, but let me understand this." Edric came back, "Why _didn't_ you tell him?"

"I was-" Arya breathed in, "I guess I was scared. Your fucking brother is a walking sex god, okay?! Let's be honest here. And he hates ladies, don't convince me otherwise." She had no idea why she was letting out her heart continents to this bunch of idiots, it felt like she was talking to her own siblings, the similarity was evident.

There was a quiet moment, and gasps and _'Aww'_ s. Mya talked first. "Oh goodness, wait til Gendry hear this."

"No!" Arya immediately interjected, "He must not hear anything I said, you hear me? Nothing. This conversation _never_ happened."

"Then you tell him."

She closed her eyes, "Where is he?"

"At Mott's," Edric told her, "He sounded pretty pissed when I called him. Probably venting his anger on those cars again."

"Alright, send me the address." She walked to her closet, "I'm out." she closed the line, and took out her gloves, then thought better of it and threw them away, she needed to be barehanded.

Now Arya was really prepared for her punching bag.

An hour later, she found herself driving to a workshop in the middle of King's Landing, at one past midnight. It took her a lot of stealth and convincing to go out of the mansion without trouble, and now she was pulling away in the middle of the road and heading to the shop with the dim lights and spooky sounds coming out of it, it was perfect for her mood.

Her combat boot heels clacking with the pavement, her feet strutting and her jacket dragging away silently with the wind, Arya made it to the garage door and stood there, watching his upper body hidden under a car and hearing sounds of screws and metal fighting. In a way, it was captivating to watch from her spot, with him not noticing and for once not being angry or irritated by her.

"I thought I was clear, Arya." Gendry suddenly said after a while, she was startled that he knew she was there.

"You weren't." she said as calmly as she can, promising herself earlier that there won't be any screams and shouts this time.

Gendry rolled out with the mechanic creeper, and sat up to look at her face to face. He was wearing a grey tank top that was covered in oil and dust, which were on his face and shoulders as well, and gods he even managed to pull out that look as sexy without even trying. He pulled his legs together and placed his hands on his knees, one with a screw driver and the other with oil clothe. "Alright then, which part of _stay the fuck_ _away_ didn't you get?"

"Can you stop being a dick just for a few minutes? Is it that freaking hard?!" The promise was already broken.

He lied back and slid under the car, "Get out, Arya."

"Fuck it!" she turned back and started for her car, what was she thinking in the first place? Maybe his siblings were just putting in a good word for him, there couldn't be a more contrast between what they said and what Gendry showed her, yet somehow her feet found their way back, in front of him instead of away. "Gendry, come out." he didn't respond. "Come the fuck out or I swear to the gods I'll stab your stupid leg with one of those screws!"

He stopped, and it took him a while to straighten himself, and eventually he was standing right in front of her, or above her, the guy was practically a mountain. "You're the worst example of a lady I've ever seen or even imagined."

"Yeah, well, fuck you too." She answered him, "What the heck was that back there?!"

"Well, you were too ashamed to be seen with me in front of your " _friends"_ " he pulled his fingers for quotation marks on the word. "And I don't like to take shit from people."

"I wasn't ashamed you Bullheaded fuck!" she snapped, "They were my brothers, world's most biggest embarrassment that the gods punished me for whatever reason they had."

"Wait," he frowned, "Your _brothers_?"

"Yeah, who the heck did you think they were?!"

"Oh, I thought, one of them-" he paused, "Shit, never mind."

"No, I _will_ mind." She said, "If you knew all along, then why were a constant ass? Why didn't you just tell me, why would you flirt with all these girls? Do you think _I_ like to take shit from people?!"

"Wait hold on," he looked confused, "I _flirt_?" Godsdamnit, he looked more confused than his own siblings at that.

" _Seriously_ now?!" This was getting ridiculous, "Lemme give you a fucking example. _Oh Gendryyy... your arms are soo big and strong!_ " she made her voice a girly squeak, " _Oh yes, I work out a lot._ " This time it was a thick voice, another failed attempt to imitate his angelic one. " _Oh I'm sorry I just pumped into you_ on fucking purpose! _– Oh don't worry I'm just big!_ "

Gendry blinked, either from her amazing drama act she just pulled or that he was speechless. "You have a very selective memory, M'lady."

"Oh I have more examples!"

"Please don't" he stopped her with his hands, "All I just heard was casual conversation and a very poor voice copying, I might add."

"Just... fuck off!" she didn't have anything else to say.

He smiled, "You like to leave the last parts out, don't you?"

"Sorry I don't memorize every fucking flirty conversation of yours by heart!"

"No, but you seem to forget the important parts." He said, "The girl you just mentioned, I was about to tell you but she interrupted me, you know what she said? She told me that it was a shame I'm not her soulmate, and I told her, _I already found mine_. And when I turned around, you were gone, like seriously, you should stop doing that every time I try to do something." Everything he said felt like a dagger, a dagger of embarrassment, "And the other girl, if I recall correctly, I told her, _you never know when your_ -"

"Soulmate would show up..." she finished for him, wanting to slap herself.

"See? So you do memorize them by heart." He smiled at her like she was an idiot.

"But you said, _she might be around somewhere_ -"

"Exactly Arya, and I was looking at you when I said that!" he seemed frustrated. "And I even sang a bloody song for you!"

"You did?"

"Yeah, on the day of our fight, I was putting my heart and soul into it, but you didn't even seem to give a dusty fuck, that's why I got mad."

"How would I know it's for me?!"

"Really? Really? The lyrics were 'Her eyes and words are so icy. Oh but she burns. Like rum on the fire. Hot and fast and angry as she can be. I walk my days on a wire' For fuck sake, woman!"

"Cherry Wine is a good song," she said, nodding absentmindedly.

"Oh yeah? And what did I order from you after that, per se?"

"Cherry Wine," she put a hand on her forehead.

"Her you go. Like I said, a _very_ selective memory." Gendry said, annoyed, "And don't you even dare mention the girls I talk to, even if I do that on purpose, it's just a payback."

"For what?!"

"You really wanna go there?" he started, "You talk to guys all the time and ignore me, like, I've never seen you talking to a girl friend or an old man for a change."

"Who?" Arya was beginning to feel like a stupid child.

"I can make a fucking list. First, there's that purple beard guy who never seems to leave you alone. And that white haired guy, and the big eared one, the one at your age, the brown haired one, there's that handsome ginger, a fat one, a blond one, and those brothers I saw today. I can go on _all_ day."

She blinked; he was mentioning Daario, Aegon, Pyp, Bran, Grenn, Robb, Hot Pie, Lommy, Theon and Jon, respectively. He had the time to notice all that?

"The people you mentioned are my brothers and their friends," she told him, not knowing what else to say. "Gods, what goes on inside your head?"

He glared at her, and spoke sarcastically. "A lot, a lot of things, you can't even imagine the happiness you give me."

"Gendry," she finally remembered what she wanted to say when she came here, "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Who's your dream woman?"

The question took him off guard but he answered anyway, "She has grey eyes, and brown hair. She is skinny and has a very athletic body that I just can't stop staring at. She's hot as fuck but she doesn't seem to realize it."

Arya gulped, his words were electric shots painfully stung in her body and heart, over and over again, but she made herself say, "I... I mean, befor-"

He shook his head, "I never had a dream girl before I met you."

Her hands were shaking, "But you hate highborn ladies."

"So what? I hate humans too, in general, that doesn't mean I can't love one."

"Stop." Arya found herself saying when his gaze and words became too much, it would've been a lot easier if she didn't know he was lying or not, at least in a normal situation she would convince herself it's just normal guys' bullshit. But this was far from it.

"What?"

"Stop... looking at me like that!" she tried, but she couldn't turn away, it was almost forbidden.

His head only came closer with every second, and his voice fainter. "Like what?"

"Like you want to kiss me..." she didn't know if this one was a thought, or an actual statement said aloud.

"I always want to kiss you."

This was dangerous, he wanted her, she wanted him, it was too much. She had to find a way out before something unplanned happened. "I-I don't-" She couldn't handle it anymore, Arya turned around and started for the door.

"You are lying." With a quick forceful motion, Gendry grabbed her by the arm, whirled her around, and pressed his lips hard on her mouth. Somehow Arya's lips found their way and reacted, he pushed her until she was pressed tightly against him and the wall, her small body brushing against his tall, muscular one. Gendry moved his hand to cup the back of her neck, protecting it with his knuckles, groaning against her mouth.

It was loud, and wild, she felt it vibrating in her mouth, the blood rushing through her, fast and hurried, as her skin reacted insanely under his touch, again, she realized she never wanted anything but him, to feel his embrace and his lips on hers, doing magic and turning her crazy. His lips claimed her, owned her, and she never felt something half as good. Their bodies moved together, hard muscle on a petite frame, and soon it wasn't enough, and she felt her head light as a feather.

She could feel the frantic heartbeat against her chest, thundering, whether it was his or Arya's, it did not make any difference, Gendry's other hand moved , trailing under her top, stroking her skin and grabbing her by the waist to keep her there, he moved up until he was an inch under her breast and stopped so they could get a breath, they inhaled heavily against each other, his forehead on hers. "Fuck." Gendry breathed in and managed a soft whisper in her ear."You should go."

It was difficult to manage straight words at that, "What? Why?"

"Before I can't control myself any longer."

Arya nodded, "I should-"

"Yes, now, right this instant."

Arya pulled herself away from under him, and for a few moment she didn't feel whole anymore, there was something missing, something that can be occupied by one person, she hurried off and for an instant walked the wrong way, and then back to where her vehicle was. She stepped back, needy to say something, "I'll see you, Waters."

"Oh, you fucking will."

And all the ride back home, Arya had a smile on her face that she was sure wouldn't disappear anytime soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Distraction**

She was circling the fork against the table for the last ten minutes, staring dreamily at nothingness, and as expected, her face expression kept on coming back the way it was even if she tried her hardest to look indifferent about it, her mind had a one-way ticket through one defined path, and it came back to it hardly every three minutes, and four minutes at best, she counted.

Her adopted brother finally had it, and slammed his hand across the table from her, making Arya snap her head toward him. "Knock it off!"

Arya coughed, regaining her posture, grabbing the fork and knife and digging into her omelette, but unwillingly, much to her own annoyance, it came back.

"Aryaa..." he warned.

She sipped a gulp of juice for distraction, but she wasn't strong enough to fight it any longer, she snorted and covered her mouth with a hand, trying to hide the toothy grin this time.

"Gods," he turned to Robb with pure irritation, "Dude, tell your sister to stop smiling like a retard! It's getting uncomfortably creepy."

"She's your sister too," The auburn haired was busy smiling himself, tabbing on his phone, Arya can swear she could feel Jeyne's aura coming out of the device.

"She's more sister to you than me."

"Thank the gods for that," Arya said, and couldn't stop a giggle at the end of her sentence.

"Giggles too?!" Theon exclaimed, "That's it, Ar, we're no longer best friends, you ended that."

"We never were," she struck her tongue at him, still smiling, "And besides, I do smile often."

"No you don't." Rickon frowned, eating two donuts at once. "You never smile, it's kinda scary."

"Jon," Arya turned to her brother for support, who was standing against the counter and texting someone, "I smile, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said distractedly, then looked at who was talking to him, "Wait you? No."

She rolled her eyes, "None of you know me."

"Did you beat that hot instructor or something?" Sansa said, slicing her bacon in perfect portions and eating like a professional food taster.

She did not answer. The more she gives away, the further they get to the actual reason.

"Or did you kick Ramsey's ass?" Robb added, still grinning at his phone.

"Oh I did," she smiled wider, "Three weeks ago; I smashed his balls and sent him to the hospital."

Rickon high-fived her.

"That motherfucker." Theon said in disgust, everyone knew how the bastard bullied him in Highschool, now that Ramsey was held back for countless years, it was Arya's turn to deal with him being a constant pain in her ass. Theon wiped his imaginary tears, "I'm so proud of you." he said with a soft tone, then he turned strict."We're back on BFF statues, but it's under observation for now."

"Is he dead?" Jon asked.

"Nope, unfortunately."

"Then you didn't smash his balls right," Robb said, "That fucker is a waste of oxygen."

"C-could we _not_ talk about him here, please?" Sansa said, terrified.

Everyone groaned.

Bran entered the kitchen with so much sunshine in him the sun itself was jealous. He made a clumsy tap dance, followed by a lousy moonwalk that probably made Michael Jackson wince in his grave.

Theon grabbed Robb from the shoulder, wide eyed. "Our little brother finally came out of the closet, send him to Broadway, _now_."

Bran pointed a finger at him, "Got to a hell," he spun around and flashed his hand in the air, showing the new tattoo on his wrist, it was a faint moment but Arya caught the words _'Hi, I'm Meera'_ "It's Meera."

"Who's Meera?" half of them were confused.

"Is she your weird friend's hot sister?" Theon asked.

"I thought it was Meena," Robb frowned, "Wait hold on, the girl is a college graduate."

"Yes," Bran said, breathless.

"Oh gods, a pedophile?" Theon made a foul face, "I could press charges and send her to jail for it, nobody messes with my lil bro."

"She didn't molest me!"

"How could you know, slick? You were seven when she knew you-" Theon said, and Bran yelled 'Nine!' and resumed anyway. "She could've taken advantage of you and you won't notice, being the innocent shit you are."

"Stop it." Bran yelled.

"At least we all know who's gonna wear the pants in the relationship." Jon commented.

"I second that." The distracted Robb agreed.

"She _is_ a bit too tough." Sansa added.

Rickon finished and now it was the poor lemon cakes' turn to be stuffed in his mouth. "Dude, she's gonna _own_ you."

"Seven hells, can someone be supportive here?!"

"We are your siblings for gods' sake." Theon said lazily, "Go find Catelyn for that."

"I'm happy for you." Arya said pleasantly.

Bran was startled, he pointed at her and stared at everyone else. "What's wrong with _her_?"

"Beats me." Robb said, equally oblivious.

"You should join Jon's _'You know nothing'_ team, dimwits." Theon interrupted, "Gods know what Mag did to her yesterday, and I fear to say, _she_ to him."

"I do know some things!" Jon exclaimed.

"Wait what?!" Robb was beyond confused.

"You found Mag?!" Sansa quickly said after.

"What?" Arya tried to look surprised herself.

"Hey, I did see you sneaking out last night." Rickon informed.

Everyone was staring at Arya by now, it was stupid to trust Theon with this, she immediately got her mind together, "Nice try, Theon."

Theon was unyielding. "Hey it's obv-"

She cut him off, turning to her half brother again, "Jon, did I find Mag?"

Jon suspiciously shook his head at once, "You? Found Mag? Pffff of course not." His lie was obvious and Arya was fighting a face-palm.

For her surprise, Jeyne Poole was her rescuer; she entered the kitchen barefoot, with messy hair and narrowed eyes and went to the fridge immediately. "What are you idiots shouting about this early in the morning?"

"He's too happy, I'm done here." Was Theon's prepared excuse, he stood up immediately and made his way out.

It was nothing wrong, nobody noticed, nobody thought it was strange, but Arya did. Now that she remembers, every time Jeyne would join a conversation Theon would perfectly draw back, and no one would ask why. Arya still couldn't understand how she didn't see any of it. He was _straightforward_ avoiding her.

"Are you hungover?" Jon asked her, confused to the fact that nobody went out yesterday.

"Take a guess." She muttered, watching Theon's back leaving with a longing look, Arya saw and couldn't believe it. She must've always looked at him like that. Gods, Theon's concealing of this matter was _too_ perfect.

Bran walked excitedly to her and showed his tattoo, hoping for positive feedback. She groaned, rubbing her head, "Who the heck is Meera?" she said, "What dull first words."

Bran sat on the table in despair, after a lazy walk of shame.

"You went out without me?" Sansa asked as soon as Jeyne sat on _Theon's_ chair, which _wasn't_ the only one empty.

"Damn fucking right I did." She said rudely, looking at Theon's half eaten food plate for a long time, and ate from it slowly. Arya began thinking this whole family was a bunch of oblivious idiots. It was _right_ there in front of them, but nobody bothered to look twice! "Since the whole godsdamn family ignores me since I came – uh ah – don't fucking try to sugar coat shit, all of you, thank you so much for excluding me out of everything lately."

Everyone was silent. Staring at her like it was a Jeyne imposter sitting with them. Poole, as far as everyone knew, was an extension of Sansa, the fluffy, fake, girly friend of the family that didn't add anything to an argument, and always agreed to whatever Sansa said.

"Who... are you?" Robb said in shock, like he didn't recognize who was talking. "What did you do to our sweet Jeyne?"

"I'm someone who needs a fucking Panadol," Jeyne grunted, ignoring Sansa's attempt to hold her hand and stood up, walking where Theon went. Arya knew damn well there was no panadol at that side of the mansion.

"Since when did Jeyne turn into an Arya?" Jon spoke shortly after.

"I think those two switched personalities," Robb pointed at Arya.

"Seven save us." Sansa prayed, with a serious manner.

"You know nothing." Arya said tiredly after, unable to process how everyone around them was so blind, even she herself was, before yesterday happened.

She was leaving as well when Sansa called for her, "Wait, we should make it up for her!"

Arya groaned. "She's leaving tonight, remember? Spring break is over and she probably missed Winterfell." It was a lie. Today was the last day Jeyne would see her soulmate before she leaves, and without him even noticing her. Arya wasn't sure if Jeyne knew or not, but she probably felt all what she was feeling around her own soulmate, she could relate.

"I know, that's why we all should go out together."

"No." Robb immediately rejected, "The girl needs to leave sober and _unmolested_ , and that's impossible if you take those morons out."

Sansa was persistent. "We won't take Theon this time." _That won't help either._

"No." Robb was unmoved, "We'll stay at home and spend time together, my fiancé is leaving too, we'll spend all night with the two Jeynes, a family sit down, no clubs, nor parties."

Arya was instantly bored with the idea, she left them and hurried to the garage, smiling at her perfectly black car, it reminded her of Gendry, heck, everything reminded her of Gendry, and what he did to her the last time she saw him.

It was almost as if the wheels found their own way to Flee Bottom's, the whole ride was agony, what once was ten minutes seemed longer than two hours, the smile refused to go away, so did the urges she was having. She had to see him, fast, before she lost her entire wits.

Her heart became heavier with the first sight of the club, nobody came in this early in the morning but she knew the band took this time to rehearse, she had to see him, she promised.

Her body drove itself inside, with butterflies turning her stomach crazy with every closer step, she pushed the door open with perhaps too much force and was delighted by the music that entered her ears, even if Gendry wasn't singing, the sound of his keyboard was almost arousing.

It wasn't a real track, just some note practices, but she did not care. It was always pleasant to see Gendry working and being focused over something. It was so... hot.

His arms moved, tabbing on the keys side to side, Arya loved to see those muscles contracting and releasing, especially with the lights shining at them, he took heavy breathes and shook his head every now and then, his lips moving with the lyrics, and finally he noticed her, standing in front of the bar and eating him with her stare. He flashed a half smile and flicker of light shone in his pure blue eyes, not even a few seconds later their moment was interrupted.

The music stopped, Edric sighed and rubbed his face, and turned to his brother. "What was that?!" he demanded.

Gendry put his hands on his knees and shrugged carelessly, "I got distracted."

"Gods, he's been like this all morning." Bella said, annoyed. "Get a fucking grip, Gen."

"This is not what I want to get my grip on." He folded his hands across his chest and leaned back, taking a stealthy glance at Arya.

"Oh really? What about mine? On your insolent neck?" Mya glared at him, moving closer but Barra struggled to stop her.

"I'm sorry okay." Gendry put a hand in front of him.

"We're all just tired." Barra whispered.

"Tired of Gendry's fuck ups, you mean." Mya rolled her eyes. "Did the lady finally blow you or something?"

"Mya!" Barra yelled, looking at Arya. "She's right there!"

Mya went for the microphone. "If your name is Arya Stark, stop distracting my already retarded brother, we're trying to make a living here!"

"Hey, don't talk to her like that." Gendry said defensibly.

"Oh please Gen, that was my super sweet persona, wanna see my heartless bitch one?"

Edric huffed, "Just calm down. Take five."

"He better come back playing better than _Jordan Rudess_ in those five!" Mya yelled, walking to the bathroom.

Gendry jumped from the stage and took a short time to settle himself next to her, Arya was already seated and looking away, with too much pressure not allowing her to face him. He leaned in, his arm right in front of her, "Giving me a hard on in front of my siblings is not fair, m'lady."

That voice. Godsdamnit, the way he says _m'lady_ was ridiculously sexy in her ears. Everything about him was sexy. "I didn't do anything; you're just a horny jerk."

He leaned in more, whispering in her ear. "Only for you."

She gulped, scratching her cheek to hide herself, hide her immediate reaction to whatever he told her, hide how she was already turned on.

Arya tried to glue her eyes on the bar in front of her, but they kept drifting away to what caught their utmost attention, she could never control it.

"Only side glances now?" his voice was soft, and lustful. He eventually sat, his body too close and attached to her side. "As you will, let's play your cruel game."

The strength of the feeling she received was shocking, Arya thought that her body reactions would ease down a bit but they only seemed to come back stronger, and more overwhelming. She swallowed, fantasies and flashbacks going on a race inside her head. _How he pushed me against the wall almost too roughly, and devoured my mouth like it was the only thing he saw. How he grabbed my hips in his strong hands, and traced my skin; that loved every contact and wanted more, with him grinding his body against mine, in those, insane, beautiful motions._

Arya bit her lips, suppressing a groan, which eventually came out as a soft humming sound. She fixed herself in her seat to get herself together, her insides throbbing painfully at the memory, the movement caught Gendry's attention, he immediately turned to see what made her make that awful noise.

Arya took her chances, and glanced at him, and those _eyes_ were so dark she barely saw the striking blue in them now, suddenly feeling very intense under that damn _lustful_ gaze, Arya gulped again and rubbed her neck, trying anything to distract herself from what she had gotten herself into.

She felt Gendry's head moving closer, way closer, his hot breath heating her jaw, and Arya knew she was doomed, but another unexpected person rescued her.

"Oh Arya, you're here."

As thankful as Arya thought she would be, it felt a little irritating, she wanted to be interrupted but at the same time she longed for it to continue, the inner turmoil continued as she took a glance at Mycah, now in the club uniform and a friendly smile on him.

Arya forced one of her own, trying her hardest to ignore the walking sex provocation sitting at her side. "Look who's finally here."

"Yes and on duty," The butcher boy said, glancing at Gendry and back at her, "Am I interrupting something?"

"No."

"Yes."

She glared at Gendry, "How's the job?"

Gendry grunted at that.

"Insane," he answered, trying his hardest to look mutual under Gendry's deadly stare. "Yoren says that I'm not half as good as you were, and he keeps taunting me about it."

"Ha! Really?" she smirked at herself, giving him a wink. "You've got a long way to go, Ginger."

"Y-yes." By now he was terrified, but managed to blush anyway. "You're staying for long?"

"Nah, I have kickboxing practice, some other time."

"Come often okay?" He smiled, "Do you want anything for now?"

Arya had half a mind to test his skills and as for a Lemon Drop, but Gendry did not let that happen. "No she doesn't."

Mycah slowly left from the tension, Arya still didn't turn to him, whining. "But I'm thirsty."

"God." He looked almost in pain, "Why does that sound so good in my head?"

She smiled widely and if possible, turned even more away.

"So kickboxing?" His hand was under his jaw and the gaze still there.

"Yes, I know, not very attract-"

"Sexy." That hoarse voice again. "That's so... _sexy_."

By now the feeling she had south was unbearable, but she still had a decent control. "That's a first..."

"Just..." He reached for her hand, rubbing the bruises with his thumb, very gently, and to her utter shock, he draw her knuckles near his mouth and kissed them, one by one, slowly, and sensually, his eyes not unlocking with her wide ones. "Don't hurt yourself."

Seven goddamn hells, she was about to jump him right then and there, but his siblings and Mycah were around, and Arya couldn't risk that, so she came up with a tactic. "So what do you think about Mycah?"

"Who?" he frowned, turning to where she was looking. "Oh him... that little shit, he's all over you."

She was amazed by how he noticed so fast, with one conversation. "How would you know?"

He quirked a brow knowingly. "Please, just look at him, the despair is radiating off and it's pathetic."

"He's my best friend." She said, glad that he was a little less horny with this subject, so she continued. "Though, he confessed to me when we were in Highschool, he's not bad looking so-"

 _Bad decision,_ she immediately realized.

The moment she turned around, Gendry was out of his seat and there was no mistaking the desire in his voice, "I'm not interested with that." Arya was yanked from her chair, a strong hand on her upper arm, was slowly leading her to the end of the bar and into a very familiar place, she heard a click and her other arm was held as well, shoving on the backside of the hallway door.

There was no protest left in her, that's all what she wanted to happen since she came here, Gendry's hard body was sealed on her own, crushing her against the surface, a hot, needful mouth was plastered on her own, this time she did not bother to stop the moan that urged to come out.

That only careless moment allowed Gendry to enter her mouth and thrust his hungry tongue inside. Their tongues were intrigued, dancing together in an animalistic way, and what a dance it was. Gendry forced her legs apart with his knees, his hands moving from her arms down to her waist and hip, Arya was by then dizzy, but the sensation was again the most passionate she had ever allowed herself to receive. His hands slid down and finally settled on her bum, pulling her even more into him as their unyielding tongues fought for dominance, and it was certainly the best fight she ever had, in the most sincere meaning. Gendry draw back and caught her bottom lip, sucking and then biting roughly and damn it to the hells she'd welcome it anytime, he wanted to trace down further into her jaw but the movement seemed too tiresome for him, "God, you're so short."

And then just like that, he lifted her up from her bottom like she was a dull, and placed her firmly on his chest, her legs wrapped around him instinctively and they were finally closer, more attached than they were before, Gendry moved on with his quest and licked her jawline like it was the tastiest thing he ever had, his groans turning louder each time Arya jerked her hips against him, wanting more, just, _more_. She was breathing loudly, taking in as much air as possible but Gendry didn't stop, his lips that she loved so much were then on her neck, sucking and his teeth scraping on her sensitive skin, and Arya never knew neck kissing felt so, utterly good. Huffs, moans, grunts were everywhere and she had no idea what belonged to whom, just the fact that Gendry was supporting her weight like she was nothing turned her on, his mouth was back on hers, and the battle resumed, and by now Arya was tired but she wasn't going to give in, hurried pants were fleeing from his lips as he spoke against her mouth in that damn gruff voice, "God, I want you _so_ much, Arya."

Arya did not like to make this short break any longer, she wrapped her arms around his neck and clutched the hair at the base of his head and pushed his lips strongly against hers once more, more powerfully, she didn't know how she found it in her to kiss him even more passionately than before, circling her tongue with his and sucking his tasty teeth, her hands felt the strong muscles of his shoulders that reminded hers once again how perfect the man in front of her, or on her, undoubtedly was. His hips grinding against her was more rough and pleasurably painful, she did not care if they were in the back of a bar, she wanted him all in before this ended.

"Holy shit!"

She heard a bottle breaking against the floor.

She and her soulmate turned in an almost ecstasy to see Bella shaking at the sight."Holy fucking shit, guys!" she turned around and covered her eyes, "Oh gods, I need to wash my eyes with holy water!"

"Lord of Light, Bella!" Gendry yelled, frustrated and annoyed.

"Don't start, you ass!" Bella answered, "You've been gone forever and how in the seven hells would I know that you were fucking the lady against a wall!"

"This lady has a name!" Arya snapped.

"And this is a door." Gendry knocked on it for proof.

"Just..." she breathed heavily, going back to the exit at the end of the hallway, "Hurry up, would you? Our tour starts in a few weeks and you know how focused we should be." She managed straight words, and looked back, pointing awkwardly at them. "Continue... ahh, continue what you were doing. Think of it like I never came... use protec-"

"Bella!" Gendry yelled.

"Yes, yes, I'm out, sorry."

Arya's feet landed on the floor, and she forced her hands off of him, she was in no mood to 'continue what they were doing', not after hearing what his sister said, and managed her hardest not to sound pathetically sad as she felt. "Tour?"

He closed his eyes in defeat, "I wanted to tell you myself, when the time was right. But..."

"What was that about?"

"We're trying to build a name for ourselves outside of London, we'll start with the Wall of England, and to Braavos in Italy, and then I don't know where but production companies are coming in on us demanding to perform everywhere." He explained, not knowing that Arya already knew about it all.

"Sounds... fun." She said absentmindedly, "I wish I can go."

"Go with us?" Gendry seemed confused, "I'd love that but don't get me wrong, I don't think someone like you would enjoy it."

She glared at him.

"We'll go to strange places, and even with the fame, we're short of money and we'll meet all kinds of weird people..."

Basically everything she ever wanted to do.

What did he know about her? Nothing, he was her soulmate, and he knew _nothing_ at all. He thought she won't like it, that she wants to stay here in this godsforsaken cage and pretend to be happy, all she every wanted was a soulmate who would take her away, and what did she gain? Someone who was going to leave her.

"Look, I know this is shit, but I have to do this." Gendry had the decency to cup her face and look at her like nothing was wrong. "I promise you, when I come back, I'll be more famous, more wealthy, and I'll have a higher standard, and I eventually, I _hope_ , that I can be fit for you-"

"Fuck off!" she pushed him away, turning open the door behind her, she did want to hear any more of that nonsense.

She heard the voice of her name but paid no mind to it, and quickly made it out in fury. _He is leaving me,_ Arya thought in despair, _he's leaving me here to rot!_

"Arya don't be like." Gendry said impatiently. "I'll come back, I promise I will."

"I don't want you to come back!" she answered, "Just go away, we're... we're _so_ different. I'm so..."

"Out of my league, I know." He finished for her, "That's why I'm doing this!"

 _No, you bullheaded fuck._ She thought.You're _so out of_ my _league._

"Go, then, have fun." She climbed into her car, Gendry didn't make a move to step out of the door and for that she was thankful.

She would not beg him, she would not explain to him that traveling the world was her desire, he should've known that, or at least, asked about her opinion on the matter, not labeling her as a pathetic stereotypical lady and making assumption about what she wanted or not. The soulmate fate, which she considered a blessing not a few minutes ago turned to light of what it really was, a curse.

Later that day more people went victim at the Kickboxing Center, until Jaqen put a stop to that and defeated her eighteen times in a raw, until she was finally done, with the training, with herself, and with her godsdamn life.

Arya's lifeless body dragged itself inside the mansion, which she went out from earlier this day full of joy and happiness. And that smile... what happened to it?

Gone, gone for a long time.

Arya didn't know why she didn't immediately head to her room after hearing the noises in the hall, but instead walked to it. As much as Arya pretended she hated her siblings' behavior, but they were the most entertaining group of people she knew, and one of the best distractions she was provided.

As expected everyone was there for the gathering; her entire siblings and all the girls, Miranda, Margery, Myrcella, Jeyne Westerling, and finally Jeyne Poole, who didn't look any better than the morning, and was staring yearningly at Theon who came in with three bottles of Whiskey in his hands. Again, nobody seemed to notice how she was looking at him. Theon placed the bottles on the table next to numerous shot glasses and sat down with everyone else, settling as far as he can from his soulmate.

Arya sat down next to Jon, tired, defeated, bruised, and lifeless. He rubbed circles in her back and said nothing, knowing what to do when she was in this state.

"What the heck happened to _you_?" Margery immediately asked.

She did not bother to answer.

"Damn," Theon looked at her, "Talk about change of mood. Do you need some more guy advice, sis?"

"I need you to fuck off."

"You'll come around." He turned and opened the bottle, pouring full amounts in each glass. "Listen up, as we discussed, this is a game of truth – since Ned Junior refused to add Dare to the game – we'll take turns clockwise, and you're not allowed to drink unless what you say is proved interesting. Any questions?"

"Can you kill yourself?" Arya asked.

"No. Anyone else?" he said indifferently.

Nobody spoke, they were all just eager to get a drink, Arya can see. That was Theon's cue to continue, "Okay, I'm first to go."

Everyone settled themselves to sit comfortably, wondering what Theon would say and how surprising it might be, he did all sorts of nasty things, and never kept anything a secret. Unless...

"Alright, remember my sister Asha?" he said, looking annoyed. "First time we met she grabbed my balls."

The reactions were expected, gasps and _'ewws'_ were all over the place, Arya had no idea what she expected from him.

"What the fuck man!" Bran exclaimed, "Just... _why_?!"

"I have no idea."

"What did you do?"

He furrowed his brows like the question was simply stupid. "I flirted back, of course."

"WHAT?!" everyone yelled, expect Arya and Jeyne. Again, Jeyne's face was shaped in obvious annoyance and Arya was getting angry of how everyone refused to care.

"I didn't know she was my sister," He put his hands up in defense. "But she knew."

"Gods, it runs in the family." Margery said.

"It was interesting, admit it."

"Drink." They all said in annoyance, and he happily obliged.

"Alright new rule," Jon offered, "When it reaches Theon's turn, we'll skip."

"Hey!"

"Shut up, you sicken me." Robb said.

Theon did not like what he was told, not the slightest. He reached for another glass, glaring at Robb. "Jeyne is pregnant." He drank.

Jaws were dropped, everybody for _some reason_ looked at Jeyne Poole.

Theon was startled now, no, _nervous_. "N-Not Jeyne, gods forbid!" he exclaimed, "But Jeyne!" he pointed at Westerling.

He said _'gods forbid'_ , and he sounded scared by the fact Jeyne would ever get pregnant. But did anyone notice? Absolutely fucking No.

Arya was fighting the desire to slam her head against a wall.

Reactions came back, more surprised than before, Robb had his head in his hands, and Westerling looked uncomfortable.

"So _that's_ why you got engaged." Margery spoke everyone's mind.

"N-No!" Robb said defensibly, "We were just waiting for a sign, and the pregnancy came at the right time! J-Just – don't tell father! Or worse – mother!"

Everyone nodded, Sansa had happy tears in her eyes, "Oh gods! I will be an aunt!"

Arya rolled her eyes, a new Stark in the family, just what they needed. Inside she would've been excited, but Gendry destroyed that.

"Alright, just move on already!" Robb urged, his face red. He whispered something in Theon's ear and he didn't even flinch. Robb probably threatened to expose him.

It was Margery's turn, she pursed her lips, and finally managed something. "I lost my virginity when I was twelve."

Nobody reacted, Theon snorted, "We want truths Marg, not known facts."

"Fuck off." She answered, thinking of something else. "Okay, how about this, my brother is gay."

There were snickers this time.

"Truths, woman, truths!" Theon said again. "The whole kingdom knows that."

"Gods," she clinched her teeth and looking at the drink, gulping, "My soulmate is six years younger than me, he's fat, and he's a prince." She drank, knowing that what came out was shocking.

"Tommen?!" Myrcella gasped.

"Yeah," she turned her lips into that weird knowing smile, "But he has potential."

Miranda spoke next, "My soulmate is gay."

There was a deadly silence, she continued, "I saw him at the concert molesting a teenage boy."

"Pedos! Pedos everywhere!" Theon cried.

"Who?!" Margery was shocked. "Is that why you disappeared?"

"Yeah, because I needed time to fully realize I'll end up sad and lonely." She shrugged, "His name is Lyn, still the hottest thing I've ever seen."

Margery looked disgusted. Arya never knew heterosexuals can be paired with homosexuals, that was a new fact.

Rickon was after her but he got ignored the moment he tried to speak, Myrcella talked with a blush. "I-I'm not a virgin." Again the whole group went on a rampage.

"Wait hold on." Margery interrupted, "I said something more dangerous and nobody gave a fuck! She's bloody twenty!"

"Marg, she's Myrcella." Theon patted her shoulder, Arya could see that the casual contact alone made Jeyne glare at her friend like Margery murdered her entire family.

 _This is ridiculous._ She thought.

Jon spoke up, "A girl approached me once, I went into her apartment, we got our clothes, things got heated... but I didn't do it, and ran away, naked."

Arya groaned, "Seriously Jon?"

Jon nodded, "You're not more disappointed than I was."

Robb seemed pleased, "I like how Jon is responsible, you should learn from him." He glared at Theon.

"Did you French her? Or at least grabbed a boob?" Was Theon's response.

"The former..." Jon narrowed his eyes.

"Drink." They all said lazily.

Now it was Arya's turn, this was not good, there were balls grabbing, soulmates, heated things and Arya had to bring something new to the table, she had to get her hands on that drink before she goes insane. The Mag situation was out of the question, so she said the deepest secret she ever carried around, of her unspoken teenage memory.

"I had a crush on my Instructor." Arya said, with a tired voice.

Margery laughed. "I thought we settled on truths not facts."

She was ignored, Arya continued. "I thought it was serious but I stopped once I realized he was thirty eight."

"Gods Arya!" Jon was horrified.

Sansa was flabbergasted. "H'ghar? That super sexy walking piece of hotness, a thirty eight year old?!"

"Seven hells, I need another drink." Margery hurried, "Come on, get on with it."

"No," Theon interjected, "Come on Ar, a crush. Pffft, top it up a notch, we're going scandalous level here."

She knew what he wanted. Arya was about to quit the game, but she needed that whiskey, she needed it too badly. One look at the bottle and her whole resolve was gone. _Fuck it._ "I met Mag four months ago, his name is Gendry and he's a walking talking utter piece of _shit_. Here, happy?" Arya took the whole bottle and drank almost a gallon of it. Her statement needed time be processed.

"I want my fucking car!" Robb broke the silence, to Arya's surprise, Sansa wasn't broken, but actually excited to have one of her favorite musicians as a brother in-law. And Jon fortunately stopped Arya from punching her at that, and soon after the teasing stopped.

By the time Bran and Sansa's turn were over half of them were drunk, nobody cared about turns after Arya's outburst, and they all drank uncoordinatedly but the truths kept coming.

Sansa admitted she had a sexual fantasy about Sandor which made Arya's truth not matter anymore, Bran confessed that Meera did flirt with him when he was a child, but she stopped. Robb admitted he never wanted the baby and Westerling left the room, then came back after he practically begged her and said that he wasn't expecting it but the idea of being a father was the biggest joy he had, that taught him to never dare to speak the truth to his future wife ever again. Westerling openly confessed that she hated Catelyn, and nobody bothered to ask why.

Then finally, was the main event, at least what Arya was looking forward to since she sat down. She was glad to see Jeyne already drunk and angry, and she hoped something will come out of her. She wanted a bomb, she craved it.

Jeyne poured whiskey and glared at her soulmate. "Theon fucked a servant girl when was _fourteen_."

 _Oooh shit._ Shots were immediately fired, Arya saw the look on Theon's eyes.

 _Explode._

 _EXPLODE._

But Theon remained calm, much to her dismay. "Theon didn't fuck a servant girl." He smiled thinly at her, drinking.

Arya could tell Jeyne knew he was saying the truth, just exactly how she could tell about Gendry, but the girl had too much anger in her.

"Alright _fine_." She drank again, not even thinking of what to say next. "You have been ignoring me for years, and-" she pointed at everyone. "Nobody seems to give a flying fuck!"

There were no words spoken, nobody knew what the hells those two were on about, but Arya did, and Arya enjoyed it.

Her brother's cool was slowly fading. "Theon had his reasons."

"I want to know your fucking reasons, you stupid fuckboy!" she was yelling at that point. "Was there a time of your life where you actually said the truth, huh?"

Arya was sure, by now, that Jeyne did not know. The girl had no idea why she was acting this way around him, it was evident. She probably believed, just like everyone else did, that Theon never got his tattoo. Even his own soulmate was fooled by his ploy.

"You know what, Jey, you're so full of shit yourself!" Theon shot back, "Why don't you ask an actual question that you don't already have the answer to?"

"It can't be just me, it can't!" Jeyne was close to tears, _angry_ tears, Arya knew. "Why do I _feel_ like this with you, and you don't even care? It doesn't make any sense! Why?"

"Because.." Theon closed eyes, Arya sucked in her breath, she'd never seen Theon angry before, not when he was bullied to no end, not when his uncles and sister abandoned him, not when his favorite team lost a championship match, not when Robb broke his arm when they were children, never. But now, he was _furious_. " _Because I'm your fucking soulmate damn it!_ " And for the first time ever, he shouted.

She heard furniture moving, people were scattered everywhere, Jeyne was crying and cursing in multiple tongues, everyone was yelling around her, Theon went out of the room after breaking some chairs, and kicking the Direwolf statue to pieces, with her older brothers trying to calm him down. Arya was dizzy, and grinning widely.

That was one hell of a distraction.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: The Curious Case of Mag**

Gendry set his keyboard down and looked at it sadly as if it was his only friend who could understand his frustration. _It's okay buddy_ , he could hear it whispering to him in its instrumental language, _just play me and all your problems will be gone._

But will they? He still didn't understand what was the whole fight about with Arya three weeks ago, it was past them now, sure, but the thing kept nagging him almost the whole time after it. He was a stubborn guy and there was no way in any hell he would apologize for something he didn't do, and Arya would be dreaming if she expected that from him. But Gendry was completely shocked when she texted him a very angry _'I'm fucking sorry okay?'_ just the next morning after her outburst, Gendry felt the rage vibrating from his devise when he read it. The _fucking_ definitely ruined the apology, but coming from the great Arya Stark herself was a really huge development so he was satisfied with it. He himself swore a lot but he had to blame all of it on his sisters, they swore like sailors and it was infectious, somehow he was glad that his soulmate wasn't the usual well-mannered lady, he thanked R'hllor for that every chance he had.

Gendry still remembered the first time he saw her like it was yesterday, he never even had a type in his whole life before he met her.

She was smiling and moving on that stage, dancing a little and laughing every now and then, just looking at her muscular frame, nice curves, strong grey eyes and wild hair was enough to mesmerize him. She was faking it the whole time, he could _sense_ it. Nonetheless, he did not understand why Lady Stark got his attention so easily, but he found himself staring at her the whole time anyway, she was, as far as he knew, the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, and that even surprised him out of all people. Whenever he told someone about it they'll call bullshit, everybody claimed her sister was the beautiful one. Sansa Stark was indeed very pretty, even he knew that, but he didn't even bother to look at her twice. His sisters lost hope on him years ago, he was always stiff around females, he tried to be nice and not push the fans away when they approached him, for the sake of the band, it became easier but it always made him uncomfortable. Girls thought he was good looking, he knew that, but all what Gendry cared about was what his soulmate would think of him when they meet.

The morning of his eighteenth nameday was a turning point in his life, _Holy fucking Maggish hotness._ Those words made him so happy it was unreal; his soulmate thought he was _hot_! That's all he cared about, whatever Maggish meant. He found himself taking care of his body way more than necessary; going to gym, and making sure his hair and style were always acceptable so he could live up to his soulmate's standard. But that girl on the stage was a _lady_ , he knew she won't even look at him, so he forced himself to not think about it.

She was highborn, just like his father. That made him suddenly angry about the whole thing. But stubborn as a bull, he found himself unmoving when the Brotherhood headed backstage, with lady Stark on the lead, he didn't know what he really expected. Her face expression changed and she didn't even acknowledge him standing in front of her, as he exactly thought she would, what did he even want? She crashed into him carelessly and his keyboard went as victim, he wasn't angry anymore, he was furious. That was how all highborn acted behind the scenes. He found himself yelling something rude, even if he was generally a nice guy, but even thinking about his father made his manners change.

And that's when she turned, and looked at him like he was an ignorant imbecile, he didn't know what she was so shocked about, perhaps finding it weird that a lowborn like himself was bold enough to talk to her like that, nevertheless, he continued with his verbal abuse, ignoring the pressure that flew in him for no reason. To his surprise, she picked up his instrument politely and gave it to him.

And that's when he heard the words.

Gendry never regretted anything like he did that night; that was his goddamn soulmate for R'hllor's sake! She was so... unrealistically _perfect_! And his words... his words... god, what was he even thinking?!

For some retarded reason, Gendry never thought he would say the first words; naturally, girls complimented him first before he said anything! He even prepared what he was going to say if he ever encountered her, something along the lines of; _'You're a hot thing yourself'_ or _'Nothing even compared to what's in front me'_ and a lot of cool sentences but _god_ , he was such an idiot, he waited six years for that shit! And he, in every way physically possible, _ruined_ it!

He pushed the bitter memory away, and found himself, again, as oft as not, thinking about his soulmate. He waited for an explanation but the only thing she added after their fight the next day was that she was in a bad mood and took her issues out on him. Now, Gendry still didn't understand how he could tell when she wasn't telling the whole truth, but she _wasn't_. Arya wasn't lying, but she didn't explain the whole thing and Gendry didn't know that it will keep hunting him down all this time, he was strong willed and refused to ask her, if she didn't trust him enough, why would he even try?

But his biggest issue; was that his soulmate was cold with him since then, sure, they talked more, about her family, and his family, college, the band, but as much as Gendry hated to admit how it got to him that much, she didn't allow him to _touch_ her anymore! And it was driving him absolutely insane!

It was almost like she bought a huge bag of a very delicious candy, gave one to Gendry, and sat down across from him eating the rest with him watching helplessly and going through the mental and physical torture. _What did he do wrong?_ Gendry asked himself again.

He came up with his own explanations.

Case 1: She wasn't happy that he didn't tell her before.

He didn't like that Arya got the news from Bella instead of him, he wanted to find the right chance for it, but he wasn't really focused on that at the time, all he thought about, guided by his ridiculous hormonal drive, was how he would get to have his hands on her next, perhaps even going further than making out, but well, even that is forbidden now.

Case 2: She didn't like it when he made assumptions about her.

Gendry, as much as he hated it, didn't know anything about Arya; she was mysterious and never told him much about what she was thinking. Maybe she hated it when he tried to define what she liked and not, she had a strong personality, and didn't allow people to label her.

Case 3: She wanted him to stay.

Arya loved him, didn't she? He wasn't entirely sure either, his feelings were obvious, but hers weren't. But still, there was always the possibility that she would miss him all the time he was gone. Or, that she didn't trust him enough not to cheat on her while he was there. That option sounded ridiculous, because firstly, Gendry would never, ever, ever, even, think, of doing that, he wasn't his fucking father! Secondly, Arya never struck him as the possessive type, if she was, she hid it really well. Arya was, indeed, jealous of those girls he talked to, even if she would never admit it.

Case 4: She really did want to come.

He thought about that one a lot, with the same reasons as above, Arya may want to spend more time with him, but other than that, Gendry didn't understand why she would want to come. Arya was filthy rich, she told him she always had kickboxing tournaments throughout the year and won a fair bunch, she loved her family, and loved her friends, so why would she want to leave all that?

Maybe she loved him more than all of those.

Again, Gendry was really doubtful of that, but he was determined to solve this goddamn mystery once and for all. He turned to their band lead singer, Mya, who just climbed on the stage. "My, I'll go solo on this one."

She turned to him suspiciously, "What's with you and solos nowadays? Your voice isn't even that good."

Expected.

"Just this time." His voice was soft, he knew both of them will drain his blood on that, but Arya and Mya resembled each other so much it wasn't even funny, maybe that's why Gendry dealt with Arya with more experience. The more he showed weakness to her, the more she took advantage of it, so he always showed his stern side whenever he felt the situation threatening

She shrugged, "Go for it, more drinks for me."

"Just stay half sober!" he called for her, arranging the microphone in front of his instrument. The lights settled on him in time, and Gendry took a breath, looking at Arya, who once again, was talking to some guy, one of her brothers, or her friends, he had absolutely no idea. She had five bloody brothers, whereas Gendry considered himself as a tough guy, even so, your love interest having _five_ brothers was always a terrifying idea, he found himself feeling jealous anyway.

He knew exactly what to sing, but he wasn't sure if she will be understanding or angry about it.

The lights around the club were off, he ran a hand through his keyboard, all eyes were settled on him, and he began to sing, praying to god he was on tune. He didn't have a godly voice like Mya, but he knew he wasn't half bad.

 _I know I took the path that you would never want for me  
I know I let you down, didn't I?_

And on cue, Arya's eyes were locked with his, he felt himself getting tense but he had to pass his thoughts through.

 _I've been around the world but never in my wildest dreams  
Would I come running home to you_

God, she was getting angry, he felt it all the way from her spot.

 _I've told a million lies, but now I tell a single truth  
There's you in everything I do_

 _Now remember when I told you that's the last you'll see of me?  
I know I took the path that you would never want for me  
I gave you hell through all the years_

He took another deep breath, now going through the chorus.

 _So I, I bet my life, I bet my life  
I bet my life on you  
I, I bet my life, I bet my life  
I bet my life on you_

By the time he reached the end, he was sure that she was pissed more than she was understanding, but again that was more than expected.

 _I left you on your own  
And please believe them when they say  
That it's left for yesterday  
And the records that I've played  
Please forgive me_

 _For all... I've done._

 _Great job idiot!_ He told himself, as he climbed down from the stage and heard a wave of applause, but that didn't matter because Arya was out of sight by then. He went to the bar with almost robotic movements when he saw Mya frowning at a guy sitting next to her, he was recognized and automatically Gendry was on protective brother mode.

"How about we ditch all those people here, and go somewhere else, to... get to know each other?-"

Gendry was immediately in front of his sister. "Go play someone else, fuckboy."

Mya was bored. "Quit the bro act, Gen, he wasn't even going anywhere."

"Well, you weren't going to resist _this_ for too long!" The man whom Gendry knew was Arya's brother, Theon, rolled his eyes when his sister was gone to the stage. "You don't see me bitching like that when you're with _my_ sister."

"I'm her soulmate." He said, incredulous.

"Aye, and look how you just pissed her off." He pointed, "I have it in my brother rights to kick your ass right now."

He crossed his arms across his broad chest. "Try me."

"Alright, just lemme find my other bros." He turned and Gendry's heart skipped a beat, _that's_ why the whole idea of five brothers made him uneasy. The man noticed his reaction and laughed, "Not so tough anymore, _Mag_?"

The word immediately got his attention. _Maggish hotness_ , he had to find out what that word meant, Arya refused to tell him, and he was curious about it for years. Before he even knew, Gendry was sitting next to him, closing his face to Arya's brother, in total focus. "What's _Mag_?"

He faked a weak voice. "You were too mean to me earlier, I won't tell you."

"Come on, don't be a bitch." Gendry tried, but Theon didn't care, so he added. "I'm your sister's soulmate, we're practically _family_."

"My family is dead, and the last one remaining tried to molest me." He told him and Gendry was confused as fuck! But he clarified after, "I'm adopted."

That made perfect sense, he looked nothing like the other brother he saw, who was a male version of Arya, John or something. Gendry still couldn't believe that he actually thought one of them was her boyfriend, crazy shit went through his mind a lot back then.

"-And besides, I like that gigantic male power more than you."

Gendry frowned, "That guy with the burned face? He punched you unconscious!"

He winced, like he just remembered that. "Well, a lot of people punch me, it's turning into a friendly gesture."

"Just to be clear, buddy, I'll never punch you." Gendry lied.

That did the trick, or at least he hoped. "Alright, I'll tell you but I need you to do something for me."

"Forget it! I won't let you have your way with my sister."

"Dude, nobody gives a shit about your sister." Gendry was about to break his promise but he held himself, Theon continued, pointing behind him. "You see that beautiful girl with long brown hair?"

Gendry turned and saw who he talking about, drinking alone in the corner, "Yeah?"

"I want you to go and flirt with her."

"No." he immediately rejected. "If you want to sleep with her, do it yourself."

Something Gendry said pissed him off. "I don't want to _sleep_ with her, moron."

"Still, no."

"Don't be a wuss, Mag!"

"Dude, your sister is gonna _kill_ me." He said. "And I'm not trying to be funny here."

"I'll watch out for her, and if things didn't go according to plan I'll take the beating for you." He offered.

"No."

"Forget about it then." He turned, and drank his Manhattan very casually.

That ass. "You're just feeding me bullshit, I bet it doesn't even have a meaning."

Perhaps Mag was just a normal girly name to make fun of him?

"Maybe, maybe not." he shrugged. "Just so you know, everybody uses it, and I mean it, _everybody_. Even the house staff, heck, you can go and tell the guards that you're Mag and they'll let you in with shoulder pats." He laughed. "Oh and FYI, _I'm_ the one who made it up."

That's it. He _had_ to know, the whole Stark mansion knew for god's sake! And he wasn't particularly close to any of the people around her, so this fuckboy was his last chance.

Gendry thought about it carefully, this was a life-death situation here! He'll be roasted if Arya caught him making a move on another girl, she clearly voiced her dismay when he tried doing that before to get her attention, but still, he had to know what that word meant. And anyway, he'll tell Arya about it later and explain to her, sure she was familiar with her brother's antics.

He breathed heavily. " _Fine_."

Just when he tried to make a leave, Theon grabbed his elbow. "Your main objective is to see if she responds to your flirting, and don't go too far, I'll kill you."

He shook away his hand angrily and went for his potential end. _Who was she?_ He thought, _his soulmate or something?!_

The moment he was too feet away, the targeted girl looked at him, brown bored eyes taking him in. She was very pretty, and suddenly Gendry realized he had absolutely no idea what to do! He turned around immediately before the girl even spoke and headed back to Theon.

He turned to him, "Wow that was fast."

"No, ahhm, I don't know what to say."

Theon seemed annoyed. "Just flirt with her for gods' sake."

And how are you supposed to flirt?! He only managed to successfully do that with Arya! And we wasn't interested in obtaining new skills. "I don't know her, man."

His face was in his palm. "Arya is one poor girl!" he said desperately, "Look, just go to her and tell her that she fits really well in that T-shirt, or that you couldn't stop looking at her ass."

"That's rude!"

"That's flirting!"

"What's wrong with you?!"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Alright go to her, and say ' _I can hardly take my eyes off you, believe me you have beautiful eyes_ ' or _'How did you do that? How do you manage to look so beautiful.'_ And also, ' _Your chestnut hair is so shiny I see sunlight itself in it.'_ "

That's it, the bloke was completely in love with that girl. "So do you want me to write this down on a note for her and sign your name at the end?"

"Fuck off." He said in annoyance.

With a smirk, Gendry went back to his mission, he wasn't going to use any of those; he decided to keep them for future references for his own soulmate. But he had some ideas to say something light. The girl was standing with folded arms, waiting for him. "Hey I-"

"Drop the fucking act, Theon sent you, didn't he?" she didn't wait for an answer, one glance at Theon who was looking their way was enough for proof. "Very well, if he wants me to go for a guy so badly..."

Everything happened way too quickly, before Gendry even knew how to respond, he felt a pair of surprisingly strong hands on his neck pushing him to her, their lips made the slightest contact and that was enough for him to push her away immediately, perhaps way too hard, like it was a reaper giving him the kiss of death.

Someone stepped in between them, and he felt anger, not from him though. "What the fuck, Jeyne?!" Arya pushed her even further.

"Gods, what's with the violence?!" The girl exclaimed, rubbing her shoulders. "What's wrong with you, horseface?!"

"Stay away from my soulmate!"

"What?" her eyes widened, pointing at him. "Fucking hells, this is Mag?!"

Great, even _she_ used it.

"Mag he is." She said sternly, "Now piss off."

 _So she_ is _the possessive type._ That thought turned him on, despite himself.

The girl called Jeyne put her hands in the air as a peace offer. "Look, horseface, calm down, I didn't know you called dibs, _gods_."

"Now you know!"

"Hey," Jeyne approached him before she left. "Tell Theon that Jeyne sends him a _please go fuck yourself_."

"Yes, I'll pass down that message." He nodded. Then when they were alone Arya gave him that _glare_. "You got it wrong."

"No I didn't." she said with a scowl, Gendry was about to reasonably explain but she didn't let him. "Theon sent you to flirt with Jeyne to see what she will do."

"Oh actually, that's _exactly_ what happened."

"Gods, Gendry, is this because we didn't do anything in a while? You're turning to _Theon_ for help?! Out of all fucking people?!"

"No..."

She raised him an eyebrow.

"Alright, what do you expect, Arya? I'm not pushing anything but that doesn't mean I'm happy with this." Gendry snapped. "A man has needs!"

He did _not_ believe he just said that!

And by the way Arya was looking at him, she didn't either. "Well, you're going away in a week so you don't need to worry about that! There are a lot of girls like Jeyne who are way prettier than me!"

What was she talking about? "What are you talking about?"

"You're not blind, so we both know what."

"No, no, no." he held her face in his hand and fuck, it felt so good he had to hold himself from not doing anything else. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever set my eyes on; never think anything less than that, Stark!"

She was shocked, he knew. But she quickly got herself together. Arya might think she was convincing but Gendry saw through her like a piece of glass. "That's what they all say."

She did not just say that, did she even know him?! "Well I'm not just any guy."

"No not that." She shook her head, "That's what all soulmates say, if you weren't mine, you wouldn't even think that."

"Well I _am_ your soulmate so don't pull ifs now!" he said angrily, "You are beautiful, period."

She gave him one of those heartwarming shy smiles and god, she was just simply beautiful, the whole universe must be blind to even compare her to anyone. "Okay." She agreed. "Now excuse me while I go and act as one of Sansa's handmaids and give off invitations for her party."

"Party?"

"Yeah, a graduation party, half of the kingdom is coming," she rolled her eyes, "That's why Jeyne's here, there's a long time for her graduation anyway but now is the only time available. I really gotta go."

"Wait." He immediately called after her.

"What do you want, Gendry?"

 _I want to steal you away. I want to have you all for myself. I want to fuck you senseless._ "Am I invited?"

"You're my soulmate, Gendry, of course you're invited." Arya wanted to leave but she remembered something, suddenly she was very close to him, whispering. "Oh and in case you met my mother; don't mention it to her that you're Mag, okay?"

The whole kingdom knew and he didn't!

"Oh and also," she groaned when he stopped her for a second time. "Just curious, why _aren't_ we doing anything?"

"Because-" she huffed, swallowing whatever she wanted to say, and thought better of it. "When you come back, alright?"

Gendry never wanted to go anyway if this was the case.

He watched her leave, her muscular shoulder he loved so much moving up and down when she reached the stairs. God, why did she always wear those tank tops?! But again, she would drive him mad even if she wore a potato sack. He ignored his dick, and made it to the bar once more to the half drunk desperate lover boy.

"She immediately knew you sent me, and tried to kiss me but thank god your sister was there. Oh and she tells you to please go fuck yourself."

"Ugh!" Theon groaned loudly, "I can't believe she tried to kiss _you_!"

"Did you hear anything I just said?!"

"Does it matter?" he said with greeted teeth.

Gendry didn't know why he was so interested. "Is she your soulmate?"

"I don't have a soulmate." He said calmly, reaching for a napkin and writing something down with a pen the ginger bartender just gave him, Gendry still didn't believe that Arya thought he was good looking! "Here." He slid the napkin across the table.

Gendry took it eagerly, the whole mess he did all night was for this, it was like finding out the identity of his father all over again. _M'lady Asshole Guy_ the napkin mocked him.

"Bastard!"

"Says the one whose last name is _Waters_..." Theon snorted. "Let's just say Arya wasn't really delighted by your very lovely first words."

All his fears came true! He knew he was too rude, and it came to bite him in the fucking ass. Even their _mother_ used it!

Gendry stood up furiously and went for his siblings, The _Baratheon Bastards Five_ , they called themselves after they found each other, but the name was too direct and they had to cut it down just for the first letters, and half way through he remembered he needed something else, and again, found himself next to the worst source of information possible. "I have another question, and I need a legit answer."

Theon examined his half empty glass. "I'm not entirely drunk so it depends on what you wanna know."

"Say, is Arya happy with her life?"

"What a stupid random question..."

Gendry held back another punch. "I mean, does she want to get away or something?"

"Dude." Theon emptied his drink at once. "That kid wants to get the fuck away since she was like ten or something."

Case 4 was his answer the whole time!

Gendry walked back to perform another song, now busy thinking of a way to smuggle his soulmate out of the Stark mansion, from the Prime Minister's hands, and take her with him in less than a week, without getting himself killed in the process.

* * *

 **[A/N]**

Gendry's pov was initially going to be written after the story was over, but I got some of requests so I thought meh why the hell not?

The story is going to be over in 1 or 2 chapters, and then I'll add some other characters' povs before i announce the story completed, this fic was originally going to be 5-7 chapters long but it got a lot bigger along the way.

I hope you enjoy the remaining!


	12. Chapter 12

**[A/N]**

This chapter is dedicated to NewGirl08 who wrote my absolute favorite Gendrya fanfic

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: Queen Latifah**

Groaning, Arya pushed forward the grocery cart with perhaps too much strength as she absorbed the labels, getting potato chips might've looked like an easy task to handle, that's why Arya took it, but in this market it started to develop into rocket science pretty quick.

Sour cream & Onion, BBQ, Cheddar, Salt & Pepper, Flaming Hot, Lemon, and it started getting weirder as she moved forward, there was WOW, the very original name, Honey, Sea Salt, Sriracha, however it was pronounced, Waffles, Ginger, Fries, Moose... Arya wasn't sure if she was looking at chip flavors anymore and her head was slowly forming an ache.

"Oh look, someone dropped skittles here!" The idiot behind her yelled in excitement.

Arya glared at him. "Can we focus on the mission at hand?"

"Yes, buy chips, how can I _ever_ be unfocused." Gendry nodded, resuming to push the two carts, each with one hand, that were filled with souse jars. They were picked randomly after a long discussion and a broken jar aimed at his head.

"Alright, fuck it." She turned. "What are your favorite brands?"

"Hmm," he put a finger at his chin, thinking thoroughly. "I'd go with Patos... Pringles are a close second, Lays are good too, oh, and Cheetus."

"Good." She looked at the shelves, "We'll get a hundred of each."

He stared at her like she had seven heads.

"What?"

If he was a dog, his ears would've dropped, he started walking to the cashier, "We'll need more than three carts."

"Make it quick!" she called after him, and resumed her task, grabbing three bags with one hand and shoving it in whatever place left on top of those jars. Gendry came back with the extra wheels and the packing went more smoothly, Arya was still not sure how many people were attending her sister's graduation party yet, it started with her classmates and relatives, which were already goddamn many, to her and the Stark sibling's friends, then King Robert decided to butt in with the entire royal court, now half the kingdom was about to raid her house tomorrow. She didn't get to see Gendry as often as she wanted, so when he heard she was helping out he decided to give a hand, which a very distracting, very stressful, very sexy hand.

"To think our first date would be in a freaking supermarket." he mumbled.

"Piss off."

"Well, we _are_ walking down an aisle..."

"No seriously, piss off."

"I want at least a kiss at the end." His snickering triggered yet another flying object to his face, Patos chips proved to be useless weapons against that mountain. He caught it midair, "That's cute, but nice try."

And before he knew he had three flying at his direction at once, then six, then Pringles packs because they were more effective, and soon he was overwhelmed and wincing at the bags that were hitting him face on, the last one was thrown so fiercely that the tip cut the side of his cheek. "Thanks, sweetheart, that was just _lovely_."

Her heart fluttered when he called her that, it was the first time he used a cheesy a pet name, she had to admit it felt pretty nice, but the outcome startled her.

"You're welcome." She said, although horrified to see a tiny drop of blood coming out of perfect cheekbone, but somehow she hid it, showing satisfaction instead.

He rolled his eyes at her. "I can feel how scared you are, y'know" He wiped the blood with the back of his hand. "Relax, I'm not dying."

 _Godsdamnit_ she always forgot how easily he read her. That sly bastard picked up on the soulmate sensor way quicker than she did.

Arya produced a napkin from her pocket and reached for him, tapping on his cheek with it, even with the napkin between her fingers and his face, it still felt like she was doing some exotic activity for god's sake. "Be careful."

" _You_ did this." He furrowed his eyebrows.

"I don't hurt people for no reason." She lied, shrugging.

"Oh yeah? And I enjoy cross dressing as a hobby." He shot back.

Arya smirked, "You'd look so cute in a dress."

"Oh please, I look cute in everything."

 _You do._ "With Pigtails too?"

"Pfff, it's extraordinary," he raised his eyebrow, "And feels oddly refreshing."

"Why am I even surprised?" she giggled.

"Y'know," Gendry leaned in, her hand still working on his cut. She suspected that her laugh triggered something when their faces again were so close. It was a huge simulator, no matter how uncomfortable it was. "You can just kiss me."

She frowned, "And why would I do that?"

"Well, I read somewhere that your soulmate's saliva has healing powers."

"Haha, nice try." She pushed his face back with the other hand. "I'm not kissing you here."

The contact alone was too much for them, Gendry's anger was back in an instant. He grabbed her wrist. "You're not kissing me _anywhere_."

"Don't worry, Gendry, a few days from now you'll be gone."

"Your point being?"

"You'll meet all sorts of pretty girls."

"Yeah, and?"

"You'll be free to kiss _whoever_ you want."

"So?"

His indifference was shocking, Arya was relived but also confused at why he wasn't affected like she was. Was he really okay with leaving her just like that?

"Uh ah, don't you even dare question how much I care about you." He read through her again, "In fact, you're the one who looks like you don't give a shit, that, or you have one hell of a self control."

"Gods, you're the one who needs self control!"

He grabbed her other wrist, slowly, pulling her to him. "I like touching you, I like touching my _soulmate_ , is it a fucking crime?"

"Fucking leaving your soulmate is!" the words left her mouth loudly without her realizing it. She needed a slap to the face, self control was _not_ her thing. They avoided that subject ever since it first popped up.

She returned home the day after Theon's outburst; Gendry ignored her all the time she spent at the club so Arya came back, tired, annoyed, and defeated. Clacking the floor with her angry strides and punching the wall at many points during her climb upstairs. She heard her mother's voice but gladly ignored her existence. The second she spotted her infamous punching bag there was no escape for the poor leather and sand stuffing.

She stroke so violently she heard her shirt tearing and blood was painting Gendry's crumbled face. Her shouts were volumes too loud but she didn't care, even her eyes were starting to get wet but Arya was not going to cry over that fucking douche, she didn't cry on her damn grandfather's funeral why she should _now_?!

Her bed creaked and that's when Arya finally noticed someone was in her room, the person switched the lights on and that's when she realized that that someone was Theon.

Just _great_. She thought miserably.

Theon's lazy blue eyes trailed from her shirt sleeve to the blood escaping the reopened cuts from earlier sand bag sessions, he sighed. Wordless, Theon grabbed the ointment at her bedside and threw it to his sister, Arya caught it angrily and sat on the floor, not even an ounce of her rage was out yet.

"You're a masochist." He finally said.

Arya stared at the tiny bottle that she used too much lately, choosing to get busy by it rather than the man in front of her.

When she didn't answer, Theon's unexpected knowledge took surface again. "What did you do to him this time?"

She met his eyes for the first time, in a glare. "Brothers usually ask what _he_ did."

"Well," he lied on her bed comfortably, hands behind his head. "I'm technically not your brother so,"

"Of course!" she snapped, yelling too loudly. "You're only my brother when you need something!"

He bent his neck, confused. "Whoa Ar, take it easy."

"No! I'm not gonna fucking taking it easy!" she shot her bottle at him and he murmured a soft 'ouch' at the contact. "When people need Arya! Oh! She's there! But when they don't need her again, bye! I'm traveling overseas!"

Theon was on his elbows trying to understand what she was shouting about. "Arya-"

"You fucking selfish bastards!" she resumed her outburst. "All of you! Fucking ungrateful, stupid, uncaring pieces of shit! This life of mine is just a godsdamn cruel joke! One minute he makes me believe that I can show my everything to him! He makes me smile, he makes me laugh, he makes me blush like a complete idiot, he gives me forty fucking moods a day! Then baaaaam screw you bitch, I have a _career_!"

Theon sat up, the look of guilt he had on him was another first. "Dude. Calm do-"

"My dream was taken away from me!" she chocked, a painful bile in her throat. "But you know what? Years later, I started to think it was okay, as long as he was there. He made me feel like this shithole is not so bad after all. He – He brought me back to life, you know? But no! Why would someone in their rightful mind ditch something so priceless to a fucking spoiled, repulsive, highborn Lady? _I_ wouldn't. I should've seen it coming!" she had no idea how far she had went. "I should've fucking seen it coming, damn it!"

She paused, feeling something wet. Streams of tears traveled down her cheek and Arya cupped her face immediately, hiding what was buried inside. She sensed a movement and crept between her fingers to see Theon reaching out for something. "Theon! You motherfucker! You're not grabbing your video camer-"

And when she looked up, and saw Theon right in front of her, a box of tissues in his hand. "Let it all out." Was all what he said.

And just like that, no matter how far and nostalgic it felt, fat drops of salty liquid were allowed to escape her eyes, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, Arya wept, crying her heart out until it was too painful to breathe. "I thought-" a sob fled, followed by another, "He's leaving me." She wiped her eyes violently, not feeling any comfortable with being exposed like that. "He's _leaving_ me Theon."

And she cried like baby, loudly, and painfully. If Arya had the time, she would've felt sorry for Theon, who had no idea what to do or say. Somehow he seemed to remember what Jon always did, so he listened, quietly, not making any sarcastic comments, and at some point started patting her shoulder.

"Wow, dude." he finally said, after a long moment of silence.

Arya wiped her snot with a napkin, and hugged her knees in a pitiful matter. "I swear if you told anyone about this-"

"About what?" He looked puzzled, then a smirk escaped his lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She let out a long sigh, then a hiccup, the ones that you do after a long time of crying. "I wanna die."

"It's okay, I shed a few tears over Jeyne too at some point." He shrugged. "But I didn't go all Billy Elliot to be honest."

She buried her head in her thighs, not in the mood to make fun of him. But she made sure to keep that for suture references.

"Look, Ar." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You expect way too much from the bloody guy. I mean, sure, we can sense your feelings, and tell if you're lying, but that's just basic soulmate bonding, we can't _read_ minds for fuck sake."

"I know that." Her voice was too weak for her liking, but she didn't care anymore.

"And I take you didn't even try to say anything."

"Why would I do?" she asked. "If I did, he won't go."

"My point exactly." He shook his head. "He wouldn't know unless you fucking talk."

"I won't. That's selfish, even for me." When she looked at her bed, she saw an empty glass cup. "What the fuck were you doing?"

"Slacking off in your room," he turned to the direction she was looking at. "And ahh... drinking water."

She rolled her eyes. "Like I'll fucking believe that." It took her a short time before she could connect the dots together. "Seriously, Theon?" she hung her head in disgust.

"What-" he looked at the wall separating Arya and Jeyne's room.

"She's not here, you desperate fool."

"I figured. After two hours."

"You fucking creep."

He stood up, stretching his arms. "You know what to do now."

"Not tell Jeyne that you're trying to listen to her over the wall with a glass?"

He gave her a look, "You're going to say sorry."

"To you?" she narrowed her eyes.

"No, to the clueless Mag you left hanging."

"Since when did you become Cupid?" she told him in annoyance. "Like _you'll_ ever apologize."

"Hey, I'm not the one who rejected me." He paused, spreading his arms. "I mean I won't, I'm fabulous, like look at me."

"Well you did scare the shit out of her when you went all berserk just the night before." She said, "And you're an asshole, so that's enough reason to begin with."

"Look, you're just gonna go very sweetly and say, _oh mag, baby, sorry for being a bitch, I was on my period_. You girls use that all the time right?"

She opened her mouth in disgust. "Did you just call me a bitch?"

"No. That was figure speech. So technically, _you_ just called yourself a bitch." He smiled.

"Just get out of here." She stood up and went into the bathroom, before staring the sink and washing her face and all the evidence of what happened with it, she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and sent him something that would never come out of her mouth.

' _I'm fücking sorry, okay?'_

Arya sighed, looking at her soulmate who had no clue what was going on. _Stupid, stupid Gendry_. He doesn't know anything. Arya had her reasons, and were probably way worse than he expected. One touch, one kiss, was enough for her to lead a path to beyond that very easily. She knew if she kissed him one more time she won't be able to hold it any longer, she would sleep with him if she wanted to or not, it was inevitable with what this man made her feel with every touch.

And she was _not_ drinking from that fountain.

Not when he was leaving after it. She was not going to have sex with her fucking soulmate right before he'd be gone for a year, what would happen to her? Her insanity was already splitting away, she did not need to have a new taste of any sort of pleasure, she was fine without it.

But the fact that she wanted to jump him every time he looked at her wasn't helping.

"Fine!" he broke away from her, and when his hands were gone her flesh almost wept for the contact to come back. "What are you looking at?!" he shouted at the two employees who were creeping at them the whole time, his tone scared them away immediately.

Arya grunted and went after him, unless he was secretly loaded, she had to pay. They were standing angrily next to each other, arms folded on their chests and a scowl on their faces. The man handling their grocery was starting to sweat nervously; they were glaring holes at him like he killed their entire family.

The only change of expression Gendry had was when he saw the bill; she swore he walked two steps back from the tension.

Arya paid the 987.99$ with Robb's credit card and made Gendry and two staffmen take the bags to the car, while she was casually sitting in her driver's seat.

That's when her phone started beeping way too many times, Arya had a hunch that they added her back up to the group she exited a week ago because it was full of shit. But now that Jon had found his soulmate, in which, in every way physically possible, was the worst influence on him, the chat became active again with the juicy news.

Ygritte Bael, even if Arya refused to admit, was a really cool girl, and perhaps a good match. The outgoing sassiness and Jon's polite and collective nature seemed to work in a good formula together. Jon told her all about it over the phone that she had grown sick of how many times he said that Ygritte reminded him of her, thankfully she was about to meet her tomorrow but they were already acquainted over the net.

She opened her messenger despite knowing it was a bad idea.

 **The Stark Prick House**

She sighed, knowing all too well who renamed the conversation again. Arya scrolled over the old messages to see what they were talking about.

 **Lord Snow (Jon):** Sup motherfuckers

 **Lady killer (Theon):** Who are you and how the fuck did you dare to hack my brother?

 **Broken (Bran):** Jon? Is that you?

 **Lord Snow:** Stfu

 **Little Bird (Sansa):** I thought this convo was dead

 **Young Wolf (Robb):** Jon, bro, did you finally lose your virginity?

 **Lady killer:** No fücking way!

 **Kissed By Fire (Ygritte)** renamed the conversation **"The Stark Cunt House"**

 **Kissed By Fire:** Much better

Arya laughed at that.

 **Lady Killer:** Hey, don't stain our name like that!

 **Lord Snow:** Says the Greyjoy

 **Lady Killer:** Still!

 **Broken:** Dude this is nothing. He named himself HentaiMaster9000 on twitter

 **Young Wolf:** Lmoa

 **Broken:** When Theon's creativity strikes...

 **Kissed By Fire:** He's productive I give him that

 **Lady Killer:** Since when did SHE join this sacred convo?

 **Kissed By Fire:** Since I sucked your brother's cock, that's when.

 **Broken:** Whoa

 **Lord Snow:** Ygritte!

 **Young Wolf:** So he DID lose his virginity

 **Kissed By Fire:** Yes boys, he did

 **Little Bird:** I'm out!

 **Lady Killer:** Holy Drowned God!

 **Kissed By Fire:** I made sure of it. I'll give you a 100% guarantee

 **Lord Snow:** Ygritte!

 **Kissed By Fire:** Make it 99%

 **Kissed By Fire:** Shut it Jonny boy I made your night

 **Young Wolf:** I will not even ask who was on top

 **Winterfell Prince (Rickon):** I always wondered what comes after 69...

 **Lord Snow:** Rickon...

 **Young Wolf:** Don't

 **Winterfell Prince:** Mouthwash!

 **Broken:** Dude, this joke is so old even Walder Frey uses it

 **Lord Snow:** Rick, I'll make sure to inform your mother on the type of porn you're watching

 **Winterfell Prince:** Theon said Brazzers will turn me into a man

 **Young Wolf:** Who brought this minor here?

 **Winterfell Prince:** I'm a Stark too y'know!

 **Lord Snow:** Gtfo

 **Lady Killer:** Look guys, Jonny learned new slangs

 **Lady Killer:** Stfu... Gtfo.., etc...

 **Kissed By Fire:** Shut up bitch only I can call him Jonny

 **Young Wolf:** It's okay Jon, your inexperience with women is known

 **Lady Killer:** It. Is. Known.

 **Lord Snow:** Screw you all

 **Lady Killer:** So Gritte, did he manage to do something or did you have to resort to dildos at the end?

 **Broken:** Wtf man

 **Kissed By Fire:** Well, it WAS smaller than expected

 **Winterfell Prince:** Eww –throws up-

 **Lady Killer:** Did you end up asking if it's in yet?

 **Broken:** Are we seriously discussing how big Jon's penis is in a family group?

 **Little Bird:** Well, you know what they say. Size doesn't matter ;-)

 **Young Wolf:** Says the one who has a fucking 7 feet tall soulmate

 **Broken:** Did Sansa just make... a sex joke?

 **Lady Killer:** This Gigantore is bad influence

 **Little Bird:** His name is Sandor!

 **Kissed By Fire:** It doesn't matter folks, I happen to like his tongue more

 **No One (Arya):** Ygritte?

 **Kissed By Fire:** Yes?

 **No One:** SHUT THE FUCK UP

 **Kissed By Fire:** So rude...

 **Broken:** And a wild Arya STRIKES!

 **Young Wolf:** Ar, you used that credit wisely didn't you?

 **No One:** Ahh...

 **Young Wolf:** I got the bloody email from the bank!

 **Winterfell Prince:** Guys you lost me on tongues

 **Lady Killer:** Oh you poor innocent soul

 **Young Wolf:** Don't

 **Kissed By Fire:** Well you see...

 **No One:** Ygritte?

 **Kissed By Fire:** Go fuck yourself Arya I ain't falling for it again

 **No One:** Still, SHUT THE FUCK UP

 **Kissed By Fire:** Anyways Rick, I thinks it's how southerners men do it here I really didn't see it coming tbh

 **Lady Killer:** *cumming

 **Broken:** Lol

 **Young Wolf:** I saw what you did there

 **Lord Snow:** Ygritte!

 **Kissed By Fire:** Stop saying my name so much I know you like it on that tongue of yours

 **Lord Snow:** No more kisses until you stop the verbal abuse!

 **Kissed By Fire:** Anywhere?

 **Lord Snow:** Anywhere!

 **Kissed By Fire:** :'-(

 **Young Wolf:** Hey btw why can Jon add Ygritte and nobody let's me add Jeyne?

 **Lady Killer:** Because 1. Ygritte is fun

 **No One:** And 2. Jeyne is not

 **Young Wolf:** Shut your holes

 **Lord Snow:** Tbh Robb, she's like a Catelyn 2.0

 **Little Bird:** If Robb adds Jeyne I'll add the other Jeyne

 **Lady Killer:** Do that and I'm fucking blocking you everywhere, little cheek

 **Young Wolf:** Calm the steam bro, we don't want another one of our wolf statues gone as victim again

 **Kissed By Fire:** What sort of man vents his anger out on statues?

 **No One:** The liar sort

 **Young Wolf:** Don't you even dare think we're over it, Greyjoy

 **Lady Killer:** Alright bitches you have two choices. A. Stop talking about her. Or B. Imma start sending my nude collection.

 **No One:** Oh look, the weather is so nice today!

 **Broken:** I like trees!

 **Kissed By Fire:** Jon Snow knows nothing!

 **Lady Killer:** Good.

 **Lady Killer:** Now, let's go back to our favorite subject shall we?

 **Lady Killer:** Ar, how's mag?

 **Kissed By Fire:** Did you bang

 **Lord Snow:** FFS!

 **Young Wolf:** I'll have to stop you right there, I'm not interested in our sister's sex life

 **No One:** SHUT THE FUCK UP

 **Lady Killer:** He be maggin', but all he's thinking is bangin'

 **Young Wolf:** I thought your rapper phase was long over

 **Lord Snow:** Stop talking about Arya like that!

 **Kissed By Fire:** It was an innocent question

 **No One:** I'm signing off! Don't add me back up!

Arya slammed her phone in the coffee holder, Theon has a mysterious way of finding things out without even trying to. Her phone started whining again and she _knew_ they did add her back up. She tried her hardest not to think of banging Gendry.

But she did.

As if he heard her thoughts, Gendry jumped in all of his glory to her modest sized car, barely fitting in, he was a gentleman enough to tip the boys who helped him with the grocery and did not make an attempt to talk to her.

She started the engine, put the pedal to the metal, and left the yard in dust. It was rather hard to pay attention to the speed limits when there was a pile of built up sexual desire in a human form sitting inches away from her. "Dropping you off at Mott's?"

"Yeah." He coldly answered, clearly still angry about their conversation and resumed to check his phone with not even a glance at her direction.

She almost ran by a senior lady walking like she was in a middle of physical therapy, but she steered away in time, earning wild barks from her dog instead, she considered driving back and giving that little fur ball a taste of her tires but she thought better of it.

"If you are trying to kill us, I will not consent with a car accident." He said lazily, smirking at his phone for a moment after.

"Oh yeah?" she snapped. "What do you suggest then?"

He pursed his lips, and had no idea how gorgeous it made him look. "Make it more dramatic, we can both jump from the tower of Joy like that Ashara woman."

"Ha. Funny." She steered away from another innocent citizen just at the right time.

His snickering caught her attention, when she looked he was typing something on his phone again. "What's so funny?"

He turned, a grin on his face, but definitely not for her. "What?"

"What's so fucking funny?!"

He frowned. "With that tone?"

"Yes. That _tone_."

"Then none of your business." He was typing again before she looked at him.

A guy with a Mercedes saw her rampaging and decided to join in on a race, the poor fellow clearly chose the wrong person, and the wrong day. She accelerated and made a rough turn but Gendry wouldn't even budge, he started laughing at his screen and not giving any attention to the outside world.

"Could you fucking stop?!" she said, trying to concentrate at the car that was neck in neck with hers, she knew he'll run her by soon because their car engines weren't really meant to pair.

She didn't know if he was trying to piss her off on purpose, or if his mouth just slipped, but a moment later he said, "But this chick is too funny."

Too occupied with what she was doing, Arya didn't even pay attention. "Keep it down then."

Her reaction seemed to surprise him, because he fell awfully silence after it. She appreciated the ten very quiet minutes until her opponent escaped into another street and Arya didn't have any more distraction to cling to. Her mind started working out what he said and her eyes snapped open, "Wait hold up, what?"

"What?"

"What chick?"

"A chick."

"Does she have a name?" Because Arya's list didn't have a limit.

He gave her a very cute smirk, but Arya was about to seriously punch him. _What fucking chick?!_ "Her name is Latifah, she's hilarious."

Her left foot found the breaks and she reached out for it way too suddenly, the car was pulled to a stop, her elbows made contact with her ribs but Gendry didn't seem to move.

"Get out." she fumed.

Arya didn't know what she expected, maybe she thought he'll explain and apologize for texting another girl knowing how much she hated it but he clearly didn't. He looked in front of him for an instant and his lips formed a thin line, his eyes were stormy and she could almost see a nerve popping up at the side of his neck. She braced for him bursting or something because he was really pissed. But roughly, Gendry opened the door and stepped out without uttering a single word, almost breaking the door when he shut it closed.

"What are you doing?!" she found herself saying.

"I'm _getting out_." he said with a low voice, it would've scared Arya less if he yelled.

She clutched the steering wheel way too roughly, her bruised knuckles turning white. "Say hi to that chick then!"

There was nothing on the road but she glared at it so fiercely the pavement would've started shaking by then. Gendry disappeared and walked to her window side, pulling his phone out and pointing the screen at her face like it was a gun.

"I told Ed about your Fast & Furious episode and he started calling you Queen Latifah and sending me memes." He said angrily,"And when he looked it up it, it turned out Latifah means _kind_ in Arabic, which is pretty fucking ironic."

Arya was consumed with embarrassment and guilt, she was trying to come up with a way to say sorry but her tongue was rolling on its own. "What does Queen Latifah have to do with anything?!"

"Taxi, have you watched it?"

She shook her head.

"Well, it's a fucking good movie." He ran a hand through his hair, sighing the frustration out. "Just do me a favor, Arya."

"What?"

"Get a lot of good sleep tonight." She thought he was joking, but he looked serious.

"What are you? My mom?" _Arya Stark, this is not how you apologize._ Her consciousness scolded her.

He gave her a sharp look to shut her mouth, then continued. "Rest well, and stay sober tomorrow night. I have some plans for you."

She narrowed her eyes at the strange request. She was hoping it's not something stupid most guys did to impress a girl, but again, that's not how Gendry did things. "What plans?"

His smile was back. "That's for me to know and for you to find out." he leaned in closer, and Arya had a weird sense of a déjà vu, he stared at her lips for a long painful moment and Arya wanted him to kiss her so badly that she forgot all the resolve she thought she collected. An evil voice in his head seemed to stop him, he straightened his spine, frustrated, and started walking away. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Where are you going?" she said in surprise.

"I have some... errands to run."

Arya sunk in her seat for a long time, ignoring the horns drivers made when they passed by, thinking about what Gendry said. When almost another ten minutes passed her phone was active again and begging to be opened by the amount of texts she was receiving. Arya was not in mood to tolerate her siblings so in an attempt to put the cell on silent, she opened it, and was surprised to see a certain name on her inbox.

 **Bullhead:** _You're an idiot. But I love you._

Not even having time to recover from the first, he sent a second.

: _P.S you're so cute when you're jealous._

Her eyes widened and Arya threw the phone away like it was poison.

She _desperately_ needed that nonexistent self control.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter thirteen: Show Off Your Soulmate Party**

Arya was more than just pissed, she was fuming, angry as hell, so filled with vexation that she was sure steam was coming out of her ears. There were many reasons for it, for once, the alcohol was too fancy, her sister insisted that only Champagne would be served tonight, to please half of the King's Landing Private University of Elites that was invited, the important figures of the court, and the whole of the Red Keep that were present at that silly event.

She began to understand that none of them were really here for the graduation, but just because House Stark had thrown a party since well... ever, and people only came by to know what will happen in this holy event and enjoy their time in that forbidden part of land that was the Stark mansion.

Her siblings were all attached to their soulmates, not leaving them alone for a second, that all except Theon, mind you, he was too busy trying to get under Jeyne's skin by approaching every female available – some even unavailable - in the party, it had gone very creepy and desperate at some point but Arya didn't have the will to interfere in his business. Even Sansa never left the Hound's side, as she roamed him everywhere in the suit he looked very uncomfortable in and showed him off to every living specimen in the hall.

Some other reasons that she was pissed was because Sansa had forced her into a dress, it was black as coal, with thick fabric and long sleeves, it was very short that barely reached her knee, too tight for her liking and her undesirable curves were all over the place, all in all Arya was not pleased even a bit.

Moving on, there was his majesty of douchebag-ness Prince Joffery, and his mere existence near made her angry, King Robert was already drunk and humiliating every lesser human being that passed by him, both her parents trying to cover up the act, Queen Cersei was standing with her brother in the corner, a glass of wine in her hand, making weird expressions together as they whispered like they were both judging everyone's outfits tonight, and Rickon was hiding under the tables, looking at the alcohol with desire, and waiting for the right moment to strike.

And Gendry was late.

She huffed loudly, gulping down the Champagne glass. _Alright_ , she admitted, _maybe I'm just pissed because of that._

But she had the right to, his tour started _tomorrow_ , and Arya had not seen him in two days, two goddamn days, her heart beat picked up pace at the reminder. It was their last night together and the piss bucket was late on her.

 _Way to make a woman feel special_ , she scuffed.

"A girl looks different tonight."

Arya did not need to turn to know who it was. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"A man was invited." H'ghar flipped his hair coolly.

Her face twisted into a scowl. "Go found someone else to annoy."

"That was unnecessarily rude."

" _Oh_ I'm sorry, I must've dropped all my fucks on the way here."

"A man does not know what all this is about," He said, looking around. "An engagement party, perhaps?"

"Hardly," she said in boredom. Eyeing the loving eyes of her sister and Sandor, her parents, Robb and his fiancé, Jon and Ygritte, who was dressed like she was going into a motorcycle race – she envied her awesome look – Bran and Meena (was that her name?), Myrcella and Prince Trystane, and the stealthy lusty glances between Theon and Jeyne, even Margery was hand in hand with the fat kid. "It's more like a _show_ - _off-your-soulmate_ party."

"Ahh," he nodded, "A man detects jealousy."

"A man needs to get himself a life, asap."

"A man already has a great one."

"H'ghar," she pressed her lips together in annoyance. "I really want to punch someone, do you want to volunteer so badly?"

He rubbed a hand on his cheek. "A man has to decline. A man happens to want his face to remain intact."

Arya wrinkled her nose. "Suit yourself."

"Why is this girl so grumpy?" He mused.

"Let's just say that she's not entirely happy with the guest list." She answered honestly.

"Give a man three names," he offered, giving her one of his mysterious smiles, "And he will get rid of anyone this girl dislikes."

Her eyes brightened. "Like kill?"

"A man does not want to go to jail." He chuckled. "A man is too fabulous for that."

"Alright." She scanned the hall. "Joffery 'The Royal Fuck' Baratheon, and the disgusting Lannister pair in the corner, and... I'll fill you in with the third after I make up my mind."

He shook his head. "That's three."

"They're twins, they get a discount."

He rolled his eyes, obviously not pleased with the arrangement. "This girl is cunning, but the man only accepts three names."

She was about to form a smart retort but numerous girly squeaks interrupted her, the hall was instantly filled with murmurs.

' _Oh my gods! Is that who I think it is?!'_

' _BB5! In the flesh!'_

' _I didn't know they're playing tonight.'_

' _I thought they were preparing for their tour?'_

' _That's the Starks for you!'_

' _Holy shit, they're so hot!'_

' _Dibs on Mia The Sexy.'_

' _Hold my drink! Gods be good maybe Waters will turn out to be my soulmate.'_

Arya rolled her eyes to the back of her head in annoyance, not wanting to see her soulmate's _late_ glorious entrance, and slyly adding the owner of the last statement to her list.

She frowned at H'ghar's amused face, suddenly feeling very self conscious about herself. "How do I look?"

He smirked, looking at a distance and raising a brow at something, or someone. He scanned her from top to bottom, from her curled shoulder length brown hair, her eyes that were dressed with dark make up, the long _Arctic Monkeys_ necklace, to her dress, to her exposed legs, and finally her black and white sneakers.

Out of the blue, he stepped forward, invading her personal space and raising her chin with his long, surprisingly delicate finger. "A grey eyed beauty." He whispered in her ear, and planting a small, barely there kiss on her cheek.

She frowned as he winked and took his leave, completely disappearing into the crowd, not knowing what all that was about. _Well, that was weird as hell._

"Hey." A low, controlled voice came above her, well disguised, but Arya sensed the lace of anger coming with it.

"Oh." She sipped her drink, not bothering to turn around. "It's _you_ again."

"Charming," circling around, Gendry came face to face, or better, face to chest in front of her. "How's m'lady?"

She waited a long time to answer. "Bored."

He scowled. "So I bore you?"

She shrugged.

"I happen to think I'm a lot of fun."

Aria raised her eyebrows. "Interesting, does 'Late' come with your list of qualities?"

He sighed heavily, as if stating _'So that's what this is about?'_ "I didn't have any choice, something came up and my sisters flipped their shit."

"It's okay," she said softly, "I had company."

He glanced behind him then back to her. "Who was that guy?"

Arya shrugged again. "Someone who provided that company."

He frowned.

She glowered.

They glared at each other in pure irritation.

Rickon ducked and walked past her.

She caught him from the back collar.

"Not so fast buddy," Arya said with a deadly smirk, snatching the Champagne glass from him. "You're five years too early for that."

He pouted, lowering his head. "You're no fun."

"This guy here thinks he's fun," she pointed at Gendry, quoting him.

They looked at each other very uncomfortably. "And who the hell are you?"

He cleared his throat, "Gendry."

"I'm Rickon." He nodded, "Still, who the hell are you?"

"A man, brother, friend, soulmate, a member of a band." He shrugged.

"BB5?"

He nodded.

"Dude," Rickon grinned. "That's dope as fuck!"

Arya slapped the back of his head. "Language."

"Oh," Gendry mused. "And I have manners." He said, indicating Rickon's previous rudeness.

"You're not her soulmate then," Rickon said, approaching him with the front of his hand covering his mouth, whispering. "He's an asshole by the way."

Gendry's eyes widened.

It took all of Arya's self control not to burst out laughing and yell _'BUUURN.'_

"What happened to all our chips?" Gendry said after Rickon was gone. "All that journey was for _this_?" He held a tiny ball that had one replica on each of the other tables, no more.

"Mom panicked when she saw how much we bought," Arya said, "She claimed it could feed a whole nation, so she used quarter of it and actually donated the rest."

He groaned. "Rich people and their morals."

"I know right." She handed him a drink and leaned against the wall next to him, the whole gesture seemed very intimate and natural.

They stared at each other, shoulders close and neither daring to break the eye contact.

"Arya!" Theon came with almost a halt, "Have you seen her?"

"Y'know, dear brother," she said without turning. "You're not being very specific."

"Jeyne!" He said seriously, "Have you seen _Jeyne_?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm just worried - and for gods' sake can you stop your eye fucking session and pay some attention to me?!"

They turned to him in equal anger. "What?!" they both snapped.

Theon paced. "A man needs to talk to his soulmate!"

"Exactly" Gendry deadpanned, frowning.

"Finally grew some balls, Greyjoy?" Arya raised a brow.

"I had two golden ones a long time ago, sis." He said. "I saw her with some dude and they were getting friendly, _too_ friendly."

Arya snickered.

"Wait, hold the fuck on." Gendry raised a hand. " _You_ have a soulmate?"

Theon ruffled his hair in frustration; Arya looked at him with a smile. "Yeah, her name is Jeyne."

"Oh." Gendry actually looked very sad. "The poor, unfortunate girl."

"Tell me about it."

"Guys, they were _too_ friendly! I'm genuinely worried in here!"

"I believe _jealous_ is the word, brother."

"Dude." Gendry's jaw clinched. "Weren't you too busy getting all touchy with those two big boobed girls a few minutes ago?"

Arya glared at him. "And why would _you_ pay attention to that area of their bodies?"

"Uhh-"

"Look, I do it to get her attention, okay?" Theon ignored the mini quarrel, "How else would I affect her if we didn't talk?"

"Then why don't you talk?!" They said in unison.

"That would make things too complicated." He completely dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "She gets all angry and bothered, and she looks at the girls with that deadly stare, it's sexy as fuck." He paused. "I get off on it sometimes."

Gendry shook his head. "I wonder how you got out of your mother's vagina, man."

"Oh please," he ran a hand through his hair. "I had a detailed map out of there."

"Theon?"

"Yeah?"

"Fuck off." Arya hissed.

Theon's shoulders slumped as he stormed off, the worry and panic still coating his aura as he foolishly looked around for his soulmate, fearing that she would do the same thing he was doing to her all those years. _God of Hypocrisy_ , she decided to call him.

There was a loud wave of laughter echoing through the floor after Joffery very loudly claimed that _'The pie is dry!'_ obviously intending it to be sexual innuendo.

 _Ugh, just... ugh._

"So..." Arya said, as she leaned back in her spot next to him. "Tomorrow, huh?"

"Yes," he looked at her straight in the eye, and she didn't sense any sadness of remorse coming out of him. _The bastard_. "So I won't even get a goodbye kiss tonight?"

"Nope."

"Will you tell me why?"

"Nope."

"Are you mad at me or something?"

"Yup."

"Will you clarify?" His patience seemed to be thinning.

"Well for starters, my soulmate is going to leave and gods know when he'll get back." She offered. "Secondly, my family is an embarrassment," She pointed at Tina taking a selfie on Sandor's lap and Bran who was actually dressed up as Michael Jackson tonight and performing the moon walk to impress his soulmate. Hint: it wasn't a costume party. "And all the surrounding females are looking at you like the forbidden fruit and shooting daggers at me, I won't be surprised if at some point I got tomatoes thrown my way."

"Wait." His frown deepened. "So it's okay if you get mad at me because some chicks are looking at me with curiosity but I don't have the right to do anything when my own soulmate is getting to close to some evil looking guy?!"

She snorted. ' _Curiosity' he said._ "He was clearly doing it to get under your skin, chill."

In his own twisted way, H'ghar was helping her get back on him for being late; years of constant battling helped her understand his tactics.

"Of course." His jaw clinched. "I was dying to get here in time, and when I do, I see you looking like a gift from the gods, but the happiness was short lived when _that bastard_ -"

"Soulmates are blind." Arya muttered, she was very flattered, but didn't let it show. "I look like an oak tree."

"Nice, though." He closed in, his hot breath tickling her ear, "A very nice oak tree."

Her heart did a flip flop; she was fighting internally to stop herself from hungrily kissing him witless right then and there.

Instead, she just stuck with looking at him with admiration that was very hard to hide, and he looked at her with equal emotions.

"Oh speak of the devil."

Gendry was irritated, Arya knew, but he turned to the newcomers with a polite small.

"Arya, this is Yagritte," Jon gestured with his free hand, the other resting behind his soulmate's lower back. "I was just telling her about you."

"And we finally meet." Arya exclaimed. Gendry looked out of place so she took proper action and nudged his side. "This is Gendry. Gendry this is my brother and his soulmate."

"Easy on them eyes o' mine." Ygritte said with a very thick accent, Arya admitted that it made her seem even cooler.

"Pleasure meeting you." Gendry extended a hand.

Jon shook it reluctantly after a noticeable long moment. "It's refreshing to see you in different settings, y'know, you not having a mental breakdown and yelling at my sister."

"I'm _very_ sorry," Gendry said nervously. "I was upset-"

"Lost your shit, you mean." Jon smiled darkly.

Arya huffed in annoyance.

"Hmm." Ygritte seemed amused. "You're sexy as hell when you get ol' protective."

"Hey, I'm always sexy." Jon defended himself.

"Tsk," she curled her mouth. "You know nothing, Jon Snow."

Arya's eyes widened. The way Ygritte said the words, with her raspy voice and accent was so... epic.

He shrugged. "I know that I'll have a constant eye on this Gendry dude."

"Take it easy, Jonny boy." The wildling rolled her eyes." Look at him, he's all nervous and uncomfortable it's almost too cute." Arya wanted to tell her to keep her eyes to herself but refrained from it. "It's not you, I take?"

"Sorry, what?" Gendry blinked.

"Oh nothing, I really wanted to see her soulmate." She said. "I heard the bloke's an asshole."

Gods be good it was the hardest thing to do for Arya not to lose it right there. Jon drank his Champagne, probably trying to flush all his worries with it.

"By the way," Ygritte held an index finger, pointing at Arya, she decided that this woman had too many drinks tonight. "I always imagined you as someone who was kissed by fire, freckles all over their face, with small eyes and some crooked teeth."

"That's _you_." Arya narrowed his eyes.

"Well, you should hear this man describing how me and 'lil you resemble each other." She looked at Jon, a hand on her heart and talking very dramatically. "You _lied_ to me."

"And they still don't get it." Jon sighed loudly, muttering to himself.

"I do." Gendry raised his glass, and they looked at each other in deep, silent understanding.

When the pair was finally gone, Arya once again placed herself back to her default spot. "Gods, let it be over soon." She prayed.

Gendry laughed, giving Arya fascinating display of his perfect features. "Your family is very interesting."

"You haven't seen anything yet." She assured him.

Hearing loud gasps erupting from the center of the hall, Arya and Gendry's heads snapped to the source of the screaming and sounds of agony. Joffery looked like a strangled piece of eggplant as he was held with both Cersei and Jaime Lannister, who looked absolutely horrified as the boy made terrible sounds from his throat.

"Do something!" she heard Cersei shouting at her husband. "He's gonna die!"

Robert only laughed.

Catelyn gave him a glass of water and he seemed to gulp it down with ease, his color returning slowly but he insisted to look like a dying victim of Ebola. The _attention seeking whore._

"He choked on a damn pie!" Robert's drunken laughter filled the giant room. "What a wuss!"

Cersei muttered a variety of curses toward her husband and made her twin brother carry him all the way out of the mansion to the ambulance car, claiming that her son was _'food poisoned'_ ,and pointed an accusing finger at her dwarf brother before her majesty left, threatening about some ashes in someone's mouth.

Arya was used to it, growing up with her dad constantly being around the court, this was nothing too new, in Cersei's logic; Tyrion was the cause of all humanity's problems.

Economy is shit? It was Tyrion.

Her hair is graying? Definitely Tyrion.

Renly Baratheon was gay? Tyrion had a hand in it.

Oh look! It's raining elephants! It _must_ be Tyrion who did it.

"Arya." Gendry gulped, seeing the evil expression on her face. "Please tell me you didn't have anything to do with this."

"What? Me? Pffff. Of course not."

It was obviously one very creepy Lorathi who was responsible of the strange events. Yet she wondered how he managed to do it so skillfully, making everything look like an accident.

"You didn't text those few days." Her soulmate suddenly said.

"I didn't have anything to say." She honestly didn't, after the bomb he just dropped the last time and walked away, his back to the explosion like those cool guys in action movies, metaphorically, of course.

"Did I do anything wrong?" He said with a sigh.

"Something _wrong_?" Arya thought this was unbelievable. "Gendry, you... you..." she lowered he voice into a whisper. "You said the _L_ word for fuck sake! In a _text_."

He chuckled evilly. "And let me guess, you panicked."

"Like hell I did." She did, she completely lost her shit.

Gendry scuffed. "I don't believe you. I watched from afar and I saw you having a mini heart attack." He informed. "Now, imagine me saying it to your face, hmm?"

She looked away instantly. _He had a point, a very good one indeed._

"Gendry!"

He groaned miserably, tonight was a night of interruptions, it seemed. "What do you want, Ed?" Gendry didn't bother with greetings.

His brother clutched the sides of his collar like his life depended on it. "I found my soulmate!"

"What?!" Arya and Gendry's mouths fell open.

He nodded. "And get this, she's a _princess_."

"Wow." Was all what Arya could say.

"Where is she?" Gendry looked around, "Show me."

"She had to go back half an hour ago." He pouted. "Her name is Shireen, she lives in Storm's End."

"Shireen?" Aria asked, "As in greyscaled princess Shireen?"

"Hey," he, for some reason, looked offended. "It makes her look cute."

Gendry and Arya looked at each other, silently making an imaginary conversation.

Edric took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "She gave me her phone number." He looked at it dreamily, standing shoulder to shoulder next to his brother and showing him. "Just look at it. Isn't this the most adorable combination of numbers you've ever seen?"

Gendry narrowed his eyes in irritation. "Seriously, dude?"

"But you don't understand!" Edric whined. "I can't wait til we drop at Storm's End in our tour, I _have_ to see her again. Gendry, bro, you don't know how-"

"Alright, alright, save me the regular bullshit," Gendry literally pushed Edric off of him. "I know everything, trust me."

Edric pursed his lips, his blue eyes wandering around as he provided some peaceful moments of silence til he just couldn't take it anymore. "But you _don't_ _understand_!"

Arya had a hand on her forehead, surely not in the mood to be nice to him tonight. "Edric?"

"Yeah?"

"Leave us the fuck alone!" She snapped.

"Finally someone said it." Gendry thanked.

"Everyone's so mean to me," Edric said with a tiny voice, mumbling. "At least I'm pretty."

"Ed, remember," Gendry said before his brother walked away. "OSLA."

He nodded. "OSLA." He turned then faced them again, looking uncertain. "Did you tell Arya yet?"

"Ed, _leave_." Gendry got irritated.

"Are you sure you don't wanna listen to what I have to say? I mean she's so... pretty. I can't even explain-"

"Ed!"

"But you don't understand man!"

"Go tell someone who gives a shit!"

"Right." He grumbled under his breath, stepping to resume his search. "Now where's Bara when I need her?" Was the last thing Arya heard.

"Tell me what?" she asked.

He took a quick glance at her. "Later, it's a surprise."

"I hate surprises." Arya found herself saying.

"Trust me, you're gonna love this one." Gendry said with a handsome smile but Arya wanted to call bullshit on him. He was leaving tomorrow, nothing would cheer her up anymore.

Arya allowed herself to look at him, scan him, remember him, and burn the image of his perfection deep in her mind so she would never forget. The tuxedo he wore was just too much. His appearance was different from the regular scenes where he wore his leather, good different, his wide shoulders looked somehow more attractive, the black vest underneath hugged his chest perfectly. He left the jacket unhooked, which made the whole look more original, and had the upper bottoms of his white shirt open, no tie, so Arya had a clear view of his collarbone, and finally, she noticed that the stray of flowers in his pocket were black.

Her favorite color, a color she always wore.

She never took him for a man who matched his boutonniere with his soulmate's dress, yet it wasn't the first time he had surprised her.

"Something wrong?" Gendry's deep voice brought her back from the maze of thoughts that dominated her mind.

"No." She leaned against the wall more, looking at glass. "You just look too good."

The tiny organ inside her chest pounded so hard Arya wanted to rip open her chest and let it flee so she would get rid of that tortuous feeling, Gendry took his time to process what she said and in an instant had his arm sneaked around the small of her back, grabbing her by the hip, and securing her against him.

Bolts of electricity shot through her and Arya closed her eyes, savoring that feeling and inhaling his delicious scent so she would never, _ever_ forget how good it was to just touch Gendry Waters, just be near him, and just hear his voice.

"I love you." He whispered in her hair.

Arya went straight into cardio arrest.

And she enjoyed it.

Their happy, intimate tiny bubble, however, was burst when Arya heard Bran calling her. Quick as a deer, she detached herself from Gendry and tried to locate him, thankfully the ridiculously dressed boy seemed to be calling her randomly, not finding her pressed against Gendry's chest yet.

"Over here." She raised her voice, sensing Gendry stiffen beside her, not quite enjoying the interruption this time.

After some double takes their eyes finally locked, "Family group picture!" Bran pointed his thumb to the small, almost glowing group of famous people in the middle of the party. "Hurry up before mother has our heads on a spike."

Arya hung her head and stepped away from Gendry, following her brother's trail but a sense of hurt, not coming out of her, stopped the movement. She recalled the last time she pushed him away from her family and how wounded he became after it.

Arya looked back from her shoulder. "Come on." She gestured for him with half a smile. "What are you waiting for?"

Pushing himself gracefully off of the wall, Gendry made his way to her, with his hands buried in his pockets, and they both walked together closely to the designated location.

The whole Stark kin was there with each of their soulmates, King Robert, his wagon, and the photographers, a lot of people were present, excluding the people she named to Jaqen. The pair stood in the corner unnoticeably and Arya prayed no one would pry on her comfort.

Her hopes flew with the wind, to say the least.

"Oh, Arya, dear," Her father smiled widely, securing her shoulders under his arm. "Who is this young man?" He looked at him with intrigue, for way too long.

Gendry gulped, he attempted to speak but Rickon beat him to it. "That's Gender." He silenced the whole circle instantly. "A member of a band."

"It's _Gendry_ , stupid." Sansa hit Rickon's back in panic. "Glad to see you again." She gave Gendry a toothy smile.

He cleared his throat, looking annoyed at the deadly stares Sandor gave him. "Likewise."

"And what is Gendry to our Arya?" Her mother beamed.

"Yes, Arya," Sansa urged, obviously very curious. "What is he to you?"

Arya waited too long to formulate a response, debating for a good answer that would not lead to chaos, from her family, and to Gendry's sensitivity toward the subject, and finally settled for something that would satisfy everyone.

"He's my date." She wanted to high-five herself so badly. _Not too obvious, not too rejecting_.

"Yes," Gendry grinned, obviously very pleased by her answer. "I was invited and I just couldn't say no to _M'lady_."

Arya squeezed her eyes shut.

Catelyn and Sansa gasped.

Her father and Robb kept blinking like there was a dust storm.

Her younger's brother's jaws were on the floor.

Ygritte made a sarcastic comment under her breath that no one heard.

And, in the most comical way possibly, her whole family, literally, whispered the same word at the same exact time with eyes wide as saucers.

" _Mag_..."


	14. Chapter 14

**[A/N]**

I wrote this special chapter because yesterday the new Game Of Thrones Season Six pictures were out and THE FEELS. COULD NOT BE TAMED.

 **I will update weekly from now and on, every Friday or Saturday.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen: A Night With Jeon**

 _Summer day in 2004:_

Sitting on a soft pile of grass in the furthest place physically possible from the humongous mansion, far, far away from the people living in it, Theon Greyjoy rested against a pine tree, silenced his mind, and placed his head on top of his knees, hugging them until his belly hurt.

' _What is your biggest wish for the future?'_

With a press of his lips, the twelve year old orphan tried his hardest to formulate an answer to the question, finding the whole idea of that day's school homework utterly ridiculous.

His new life with the Starks might've been an opportunity, a strike of luck as his foster adviser told him. _People will envy you_ , he had said, but Theon found himself being tortured by anything and everything. It was becoming hard, almost unbearable as seasons went by.

It had been half a year since Eddard and Catelyn Stark adopted him into their family, but nothing had changed. He still never had a good night's sleep with the continuous nightmares of his disoriented family that ended when both his parents died; one falling off of a bridge, the other falling off of grieve.

The Lord and Lady obviously adopted him out of mere pity and dept they owed to his late parents, but that did not produce love, nothing did.

The glint in their eyes that shone whenever they interacted with their children, which completely disappeared when they looked at him was enough proof.

The kids in the mansion did not love him any more than their parents did, no one played with him, no one talked to him, no one even bothered to glance his way without a look of curiosity, shame, or just hate.

He prayed for his Drowned God ever so often to make his life a little bit more joyful, make him forget about his parents, make the Starks like him and treat him as one of their own, but as always, there was seldom any answer.

Theon wondered why the hell did he bother to bring the task sheet all the way to the gardens without bringing a pencil with it, and finally settled with holding a stick he used to play with, and scribbled his heart's desire, perhaps finding a sort of mental relief in doing so.

 _'_ _To have friends.'_

The sound of feet shuffling brought Theon back to the real world, snapping his neck to the side, he spotted the one girl that always made him act as a fool when she was around. He couldn't contain himself, right from the first day he had laid his eyes on the Security Head's daughter, Theon found his whole view on life changing.

It was one of those unexplained moments of eye contact, immediately misread, inevitably lasting in his fresh heart that hadn't pumped for any other girl before, that's why he never had the guts to even speak to her, or else he would've embarrassed himself even further than the endless retarded stares he gave her on daily bases.

Jeyne Poole was wearing a yellow sundress that hugged her small body with warm hands, making her look more of a beacon of light than a human being, her brown curls fell on her shoulders, moving and living a life by their own as she walked with adorable giant steps to avoid the muddy spots around him.

She stopped by the pine tree next to him, and the two barely blooming teenagers looked at each other for perhaps longer than humanly necessary, but Theon did not mind it, he never would.

Hands folded behind her back, Jeyne arched herself sideways, furrowing her eyebrows at something with concentration, Theon couldn't focus, he couldn't help but wonder how her chocolate eyes turned almost yellow under the sun rays, just like gems.

She turned to him from her position, casting a sincere smile in his way. "I can be your friend."

Forcing his lazy eyes away from the beautiful girl, Theon looked at what he wrote on the ground in that moment of despair, and the sad smile that formed on his lips came unwillingly, despite himself.

"You're the only one."

* * *

 _2016 – Before Sansa Stark's Graduation Party:_

Placing the contouring brush back in her kit, Doreah, who was their makeup artist for tonight, spun the chair until Jeyne came face to face with a beautiful creature from another dimension. It felt like it was their first meeting, for Jeyne didn't even recognize her.

"Let's keep this between us, babe." Doreah ran a hand through Jeyne's hair that was so straight it felt like water. "Marg told me what happened, and I made sure to make you look hotter than all the other girls. The bastard better be envious as fuck when you go out of this room."

Jeyne titled her head, narrowed her eyes, poked herself in front of the mirror and still didn't believe how different she looked. "Dor, you're a god."

"I live to serve." She shrugged. "Walk around proudly. Show off your femininity and beauty in front of him. Make him suffer. Make him _cryyy_!"

When the proud feminist took her leave with an evil laugh, after countless polite rejections of her _'I can show you how to seduce men and make them kneel before you'_ offers, Jeyne couldn't help but stand in front of her reflection, twirling and admiring the dress that she had picked especially for tonight.

Again, it was something that was not normally her style, but when she saw the lower cut of the dress she couldn't help it, the dress was calling for her, begging to be purchased with imaginary puppy eyes.

It was raw in black, revealing her cleavage line, reaching down her feet in thin silk that danced whenever she moved, the cut exposed her entire left leg, perfectly showing the soulmate tattoo on her thigh.

 _'You're the only one.'_

The irony in Jeyne's life never seemed to cease.

* * *

Not even one compliment.

Have you ever wasted so much effort? Spent hours planning on what to wear and what style you should do your hair? Was so excited you couldn't sleep the whole night? And at the end the one person you tried to impress didn't even notice?

He didn't even bother with one compliment.

Again, Jeyne didn't know what to expect, or _why_ she expected anything from the one and only Theon Greyjoy, who held the title of King's Landing's most notorious fuckboy, with honors.

 _He wasn't like that._ She reminded herself once again, after so many countless times.

Theon was the funniest, most romantic and genuine boy she ever knew from her childhood. She told him once that she loved tulip flowers, something that wasn't easy to find in King's Landing, and he brought them for her every week, _every_ week for almost two years.

He would slyly tuck them in front of her door before she could notice he was lingering. Of course, she did, because at the morning of every Sunday, Jeyne woke up an hour early so she could sit behind her door and wait to hear his clumsy footsteps from the other side. Jeyne would never confront him about it and act as if nothing happened, or else he would've died of embarrassment.

He knew that she was aware, she knew that he knew, and those innocent smiles they gave each other was all the _Thanks You's_ and _You're Welcome's_ they needed. Or maybe _I Love You's_ too, who knew? They had that connection between them, that certain level of understanding that passed the border of any normal friendship that existed.

It's hard to believe, isn't it? Sometimes Jeyne thought those were illusions and false memories her subconscious had created.

She had believed, at some point when she was almost fourteen, that Theon would do it. That he would confess that he saw her more than a friend and she would confess back, tell him how she was in love with him since the first time he took a step into the Stark mansion with that dirty blond hair and sad blue eyes. That then later they would be happily together and become each other's first and last love, and perhaps one day the gods would confirm that they were soulmates, that then they would get married, have adorable kids that looked like him-

But it didn't exactly happen that way, did it?

At Jeyne's fourteenth birthday, when the small awkward party was finally over, Jeyne childishly demanded for her present that she didn't receive that day, he smiled widely and whispered in her ear to meet him in under the pine tree, _their_ pine tree, later that night.

 _It was happening_. She had thought almost _too_ happily. Perhaps she was going to have her first kiss? The little girl was dying of anticipation until Margery pulled her aside, seeing the exchange between the two and acting strangely after it.

"I have to tell you something." The twelve year old Margery said.

"Okay, but hurry up." Jeyne was almost bouncing in her spot, continuously biting her lips.

"Be careful around that boy, okay?" She said. "I'm scared that he'll do something to you, Jeyne, he's creepy."

Jeyne was never a violent girl. Septa Mordane had taught her that a lady's armor was her courtesy, and that every problem can be solved with charming words, but never in her life did she want to pull a girl's hair and hit her bloody like she did back then.

"Go to hell, Marg!" she pushed past her in a barely maintained anger.

Margery seemed to be panicking as she grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving like Jeyne was going on a suicide mission. "No! Don't go!"

"You're just jealous, admit it!"

"What! No!-"

"I see how you look at him!"

"I don't!"

"F you! You do!"

"I would never!"

"Your constant ogling says otherwise!"

"Jeyne, look!" Margery breathed heavily, trying to find a good way to say whatever was in her mind. "I saw him doing something, okay? He's a bad guy."

"I don't care!"

"He- he was doing _something_." She squeaked. "W-with Osha! I saw them!"

"Doing what? Drugs?" she did hear that the wildling servant was smuggling some things lately, news did travel very fast in that house.

"No, stupid!" she shook her head. "They were doing _it_. I heard sounds, I was horrified."

For a girl that couldn't even complete the F word, Jeyne took her time to understand what Margery was saying, and it finally hit her, so hard she was almost going to crumble to dying fragments of childish dreams.

"I'm scared for you, Jeyne, what if he did something to you?"

Jeyne stormed off to the gardens, having her first mental breakdown in her life, she couldn't see the bouquet he was holding, or how he spat the mint gum nervously when she came, or how he had changed into another outfit, all what she cared about was yelling at him, insulting him to hell and back with every curse word the internet had taught her, and cry hysterically while she was at it.

Jeyne never thought that that fight would be the last time they would ever talk for a long time, so long that the pine tree would age and the gardener would decide to cut it off eventually, burning its pieces in the fireplace along with their beautiful memories.

Now, ten years later, Jeyne saw the whole story with a new insight, but it was no use, she was blind for far too long to actually make it up.

Theon stayed in the hall for exactly two minutes after she came downstairs, then he took off to gods know where after one glance at her direction.

At least he looked at her now. That was an improvement.

* * *

 _Later that night:_

Theon paced back and forth in the kitchen, apparently, it was the only thing he was capable of doing that night.

"So... do you know what they would do to me?"

That bastard - whom he later knew from Arya that he was called Satin, was _all_ over her. It looked like the man couldn't see anything in front of him that wasn't Jeyne.

He clinched his teeth. That was _his_ job, not just some pretty boy with straight teeth!

"I have the right to know, okay?"

 _Satin. How fucking fitting_ , he thought, since the man to him was currently the spawn of _Satan_.

He actually thought they reached a certain level of understanding, Theon went full saint mode and didn't touch a _single_ female since she found out that he was her true soulmate, not that she didn't know already, but that was _it_. Everything was out on the table, they could've worked out something from there, right? But no.

She arrived at the party, gave Theon a heart attack on the spot, and didn't bother to talk to him. He had gone instantly to do something he was aching to do, and when he went back he already saw her busy with _Satan_.

"Is there anything I should be prepared for?"

At least he got his revenge. The satisfaction of sensing her anger whenever he walked by with those girls was almost too sweet. It was unhealthy, extremely fucked up that he was feeding on this for almost ten years.

If his life wasn't a sad one, he didn't know what was.

"Hey fuckboy, are you even listening?"

Nostrils flared, Theon raised his head to locate the source of the annoying murmurs that kept on interrupting his internal debate. "Oh, you're still here?"

" _Still here_?" Arya's soulmate snapped. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Theon smirked, after the whole disaster of a first meeting with the family, Lord Eddard quietly instructed Theon to escort Mag to the kitchen before things went too badly, despite Arya's protests and death threats.

The poor giant of a man was sitting dreadfully at the kitchen table, looking much disoriented and out of place, waiting for almost two hours with Theon as his bloody watcher.

While she was out there with _Satan._

He stopped walking, hands digging even further in his pockets when that ugly thought kept nagging him. He hated it, _despised_ how angry and pained it made him so easily.

With one look at the equally agitated man, Theon's curiosity lit up. "Why are you sitting there?"

"What?!" Mag scowled. "Because there are two scary looking men daring me with their eyes to step a foot outside of this room with my head still in place?"

He saw Jory and Hallis standing at the entrance, each with a sandwich in hand and gossiping about tonight's events.

Theon wanted to tell him that there wasn't anything scary about two guards that actually came to have some snacks and see their lady's infamous soulmate that the whole house staff had placed bets on.

Instead, he held his tongue, deciding to enjoy how scared the man seemed at his current situation.

"No." Theon smirked. "I meant, why are you sitting _exactly_ there?"

He glanced at the table like there were hidden bombs somewhere. "Shouldn't I?"

"This is Ar's designated seat since the kitchen was built."

Mag's eyes widened, he looked at the chair, the table, the salt and pepper containers, crossed his legs, uncrossed them, and leaned back to test how it felt.

"Dude, you didn't step into Eden, it's just a chair." Theon snapped.

"Fuck you."

"The irony is unbelievable." He went on, sitting on the counter. "Because in fact, she was sitting there when she showed all of us her tattoo for the first time."

His blue eyes widened even more. "W-who was here when that happened?"

"Everyone."

"How was the reactions?"

"You don't wanna know. Too much torture."

He hit his forehead flat on the table, admitting defeat. "It can't get any worse."

"It can." Theon said. "It can always be worse."

A loud grunt was his answer.

"Hey wanna hear another ironic story?" Theon offered, since he was bored as fuck.

While _Satan_ was having his way with her.

Another grunt.

"So a few weeks ago, right before everything was revealed to her," Theon started. "I was on my usual stalking night mission and I saw Jeyne quoting Sam Smith, what's up with girls and this singer anyway? So, I was reading it and I realized the song was called 'I'm Not the Only One'."

He raised his head, a look of pure confusion plastered on his features. "Okay firstly, Sam Smith is dope as hell. And secondly, where's the irony in this?"

Theon folded his arms across his chest, lips pursing. "My first words to her were _You're the only one_."

 _Jeyne, Jeyne... It rhymes with pain._

His expression softened but went another way than what Theon had expected. Instead of some sympathy and understanding, the guy actually lost his shit and laughed loudly like there was no tomorrow.

"Fuck you." Theon hissed.

"Man!" He said between barks and fresh tears. "Turn it into a novel!"

Theon _tsk_ ed, "You should be nicer to me, y'know. I'm the only person in the planet who supports you."

He calmed down and breathed, giving him a genuine look this time. "She was doing it on purpose."

"Come again?"

"Your Jenna-"

" _Jeyne_."

"- Kept glancing at you to make sure you were watching her when she talked to that guy."

Theon frowned. "Really?"

He nodded. "It was hard to miss."

With a sigh of relief, Theon's mind rested. _There's still hope._ He thought positively _. She would go back to her room. And she will-_

"Seriously though, should I be prepared for anything?"

"Look," He said impatiently. Sandor Clegane went through it all a week ago, so Theon already knew the drill. "Here's my family and you in a nutshell:

You are now Sansa's favorite brother, us in the lower rankings. Catelyn would start planning the wedding. Ned would be cold and calm, but secretly investigating your background in his free time. Robb would copy anything that Ned is doing since that's what he is, a copy. Jon already hates you, I'm afraid, there's nothing you can do about that.

Bran would start asking you for relationship advice since no one else gives a shit. Rickon... don't mind the boy, nobody remembers him anyway. And Ar, well, I'm not comfortable discussing your sex life to be honest-"

"Wait, WAIT!" Mag held a hand in panic. "Hold the _fuck_ on!"

" _What_?"

"Investigating my background?!" He exclaimed. "He will find out about... _stuff_!"

"That's the point." Theon brought his hands in the air. "Just trust me, you better come forward from now, he will find out about everything."

"He- he can't!"

"Sorry to break it to you, buddy, but he certainly can." He shrugged at the silliness of everything. "He's the prime minister, it sorta comes with the job."

"Shit." He ruffled his hair, cursing silently. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

Theon did not understand what he was so worried about. What did he do? Cause havoc in foster care... His adoptive father raped him... Really, what else can it be?

"Look." Mag whispered, almost not certain that he wanted to say anything about it. "I'm someone's bastard."

"No shit, Gendry _Waters_." Theon snorted. "What's the next shocking fact? Your sister is hot? The sun is bright?"

"I mean it! I'm _someone's_ bastard. Someone important, and if your dad found out, it would cause complications!"

"An enemy or something?"

"No, far from it!"

"Then don't worry, if anything, that would make your image better in his eyes, no man would give him the slightest shock." He said simply. "I don't want to glorify my father's ego but no man is more important than him in this kingdom, save the King."

"No one understands!" He whisper-yelled.

There were loud murmurs and Arya entered the scene, looking pissed as fuck, yet, Theon wondered when she didn't. "What the fucking fuck is – hey, are you okay?"

"No one understands." Her soulmate murmured.

"What did you do?" She immediately accused her brother.

"We were just discussing some things." Theon defended himself.

"Gods, Theon." She rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me that I was flying solo up there while you two were sitting here and discussing your _feelings._ "

"You're right." Theon told Mag. "No one understands."

"My lady," the guard walked to her, grinning. "Thanks to you, I am now three hundred pounds richer!"

"Go to hell, Jory," Arya replied immediately. "Maester Luwin got it, he was spot on."

"No way! I said blue eyes and raven hair, there is no way-"

"Luwin said that he was six foot two, with wide shoulders, big arms, and an intimidating walk. He even said that he can sing." She said.

Theon narrowed his eyes. "The old man is practically a psychic!"

"Okay." Gendry collected himself. "What the _fuck_?!"

"They made a bet." Theon looked at him. "Cheer up, at least you're useful. People are making money out of you."

* * *

"Just don't embarrass her." Jon said quietly, but his voice was lost amidst all the sounds that the whole family was emitting on their walk to the kitchen.

Jeyne looked at Sansa, clearly seeing her jealousy, she doubted that it was because her sister's soulmate was G, but more because of the fact that when Sandor met the Starks, no one looked half as interested.

"He is so handsome!" Lady Catelyn exclaimed. "I can already picture my beautiful grandchildren!"

Rickon was racing to the kitchen without waiting for anyone.

"That gal is one lucky kid." Jon's soulmate, whose name was hard to remember, said with a thick accent.

"Nothing like I imagined, honestly." Said Robb.

His fiancé agreed. "I completely lost the bet."

"What bet?"

Lord Eddard was almost panting by now. "Robert, are you sure you can't walk by yourself?"

"Shut your mouth, Ned!" the drunken man he was holding grunted loudly. "I'm your king!"

"I think he looks like a good man." Myrcella argued. "And a very nice person, just a bit misunderstood. He really reminds of someone..."

"He's an asshole, trust me." Jon glared at no one and everyone.

"He looks useful." Bran said with a grin.

"Who are they talking about?" Satin, the handsome gentleman who was actually the only one who complimented her tonight seemed very confused, but Jeyne did not bother to elaborate.

"He's hot but I've seen better." Margery released one of her twisted smirks.

"Who? Your soulmate who's back to Ser Pounce before his bedtime is up?" Jeyne retorted, sounding ruder than she wanted.

"Wow, Jeyne." Margery frowned. "What crawled up your ass and died?"

"Hey!" the king of the Seven Kingdoms shouted, startling both of the girls. "My son, in fact, does _not_ have a bedtime!"

Margery bowed her head. "I'm very sorry, your grace."

Jeyne clinched her teeth, not bothering with courtesies that he won't remember the next day anyway. "You've seen Theon, huh?"

People see a door, a light bulb, a counter, a giant refrigerator, or a big marble table when they enter this kitchen, but all what Jeyne saw was a pair of pale blue eyes that she swore were waiting to be locked with hers.

Immediately, both Jeyne and her soulmate looked away.

When nobody seemed to pay attention to them, Margery came to her, her voice laced with venom. "What the hell is your problem?"

" _My_ problem?" Jeyne smiled forcefully. "Why are you such an obnoxious bitch all the time?"

"Perspective and opinion." Margery said. "A good lady knows when not to care about them."

"Oh, you know some quotes, _boo-fucking-hoo_!" Jeyne, by now, had realized that she shouldn't have had all those Champagne glasses while waiting for that _godsdamn_ compliment. "Nothing can hide that you are a jealous, sadistic, lying _psychopath_."

"What did I do this time?!"

"You ruined my fucking life, that's what you did!"

Satin, who sensed the tension miles away, stepped in front of her. "Jeyne, darling, I think you had too many drinks." He smiled kindly, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her down.

With a blurry vision, she looked up to him and nodded, trying to swallow up the anger. That was before Satin pulled back, the palm of his hand cupping his eye with a loud ' _Ouch'_ and metal clacking somewhere.

"Did-" he rubbed his left eye, looking at the floor. "Did someone throw a _spoon_ at my face?!"

Jeyne didn't need to look to know who did it.

And suddenly her anger was back. She pushed the wounded man away and stepped in front of the brown haired witch, "Why?"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I beg your pardon?"

" _Why_?" she repeated. "Why did you do it?!"

"Did _what_ , exactly?"

"Why did you destroy us?" Jeyne said, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Why did you lie to me, what have I ever done to you?!"

Margery had one side that not a lot of people had the pleasure to see, she was the charismatic, likable young woman that seemed perfect in every aspect you came up with, but there was a switch, a look that crossed her face when her mask cracked, slightly showing what was underneath, as Sansa's stories said.

And in that moment, Jeyne saw it.

"I wanted him to be my first." She said. "But he had _you_."

"So he was." She smiled, a pained one that was far from her eyes. "He was your first."

"Physically, yeah." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "But emotionally? Not even close."

Jeyne never understood what it meant for your blood to be boiling, but now she clearly did because she was experiencing it firsthand. Every vessel in her body seemed heavier and heated, every nerve was electrified, she was not boiling, she was _burning_ with rage.

She literally ran outside to the hallway so no one could see her, see how she was going to have _another_ mental breakdown because of Theon fucking Greyjoy.

 _Why are the gods so cruel?_ She asked herself as the first loud sniffle came out, she leaned against the cold wall, cursing every god she knew repeatedly.

 _Twisted fate._ Her mind chanted.

Loud footsteps echoed and she cursed again, trying to gather the hem of the dress and make her escape before someone saw the pathetic state she was in.

Until she sensed _him_ and every muscle in her body seemed to be dying.

She was pushed harder against the wall, pleasurable warmth seeping from the hands that were cupping the sides of her cheeks and consuming her from that point slowly, gently, like they were afraid any unnecessary force would break her.

"Jey, what's wrong?" _That voice_. _That nickname_. " _Look_ at me. What happened?"

Jeyne was glad that Theon was visibly much taller than her; she preferred the view of his collarbone, not the face, anything but the face.

"I hate you!" her hands balled into fists as she hit him, but he did not budge to the countless attacks. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! _I fucking hate you_!"

She broke down there, in front of him.

At some point, his hands left her cheeks, quickly rolled around her neck and the back of her head til he plastered her onto his chest, burying her whole existence around him, turning her cries into muffles as she covered his shirt with tears. It was a sensation to intense and surreal she couldn't even dream of something similar to it.

"Shhh." Theon rubbed his cheek against her hair, the hair she straightened _just_ for him, forcing her nose into the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry."

" _One_ compliment." She sobbed. "I just wanted _one_ fucking compliment, is that too much to ask?!"

He lifted her chin, the eyes she always fantasized about meeting hers without looking away this time. He bent his head down, the warmth of his lips strong without even a physical contact with her skin.

She sucked in a long breath when he kissed her cheek slowly, sucking the last droplet of tears and wiping the remaining traces with his thumb. "Go back to your room, Jey."

Did you think he was finally going to give her that godsforsaken compliment? She thought so too.

Breathing heavily, Jeyne gathered all her strength and pushed him far away from her as possible. "And you, go back to hell!"

With angry strides, she made her way down the hallway, disappointed and fucked up did not begin to cover how she was feeling.

She heard her name being called, and turned to inspect the tired sound.

"Jeyne?" Satin huffed, "Are you okay, darling?"

"Hey," Theon bared his teeth at the man from his spot, "Call her that _one more fucking time_."

"Are you serious right now?!" She yelled angrily.

* * *

Sometimes Jeyne hated how big the Stark mansion was, no matter how many times she bragged about it to her friends. By the time she made it to her room, she was already tired like she came back from a bloody marathon.

 _A marathon of emotions._

She was fumbling with the handle when she noticed that her bare foot was not exactly on a carpeted floor, she glanced down to see what was there, and the heels Jeyne was holding fell on the floor from the shock.

 _When?_ Was her first question when she saw the crumbled piece of paper.

 _Why?_ Was her second when she saw a flower next to it.

 _How?_ Was her last when recognized it as a fresh, white tulip.

She pushed her forehead against the wall; suddenly the urge of crying again was strong as a tornado as she answered her own questions.

 _When he left immediately after I arrived._

 _Because he wanted to fix us, he was trying, in his own fucked up way._

 _He never forgot._

Jeyne closed the door, hoping that whatever was in that note wasn't even that special so she would not feel too guilty, she sniffed on the gorgeous flower, unfolded the paper, stared at it, read it more than twenty times before she started crying, with tears of happiness this time.

 _Someone should tell the Gods_

 _Old and New_

 _That tonight_

 _The heaven was missing an angel_

 _-T.G_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Danger**

At first it was shocking as the Seven burning hells, then it became completely irrational.

Arya was accustomed to her family constantly bringing her embarrassment with every word that came out of their mouths, but nothing could have prepared her for what they did when they first met Gendry.

"Oh my gods!" Rickon, as always, was the first one to break the air of awkwardness and silence, and again, with something even more awkward. "The asshole in the flesh!"

Sansa slapped him in the head like it was a reflex. "Don't call him that!"

"Says the one who kept rubbing his assholeness in Arya's face for the past year and a half." Theon deadpanned.

He received another slap, in the face.

"You're guilty as charges, sis." Was his comeback as he rubbed his cheek, "And you, other sis, were not rubbing it any less."

Arya casted him a deadly glare.

"Should I remind you? The massacre of the poor trainees in Black and White-"

She punched him in the back.

"Stop it, people!" He said loudly. "I can sue the family for domestic violence!"

"I need your full name." Ned spoke up, with eerie calmness. "And family history-"

"Father!"

"Now, now," Catelyn waved her hand up and down. "I must say that I am very satisfied with my new son in law, more than the last one."

Sandor's head snapped to her. "Ah, _excuse_ me?"

"Why is everyone so bloody shocked?" Jeyne snapped from behind her. "Remember the drunken night when she confessed to all of us?"

"All of _us_?" Catelyn's face was covered with hurt. " _Drunken_ night?"

"In my house?" Her father added.

"Wait," Robb's face was already flushed crimson. " _You_ are Gendry Waters? The walking talking utter piece of shit?"

Arya raised a hand and kept it there, as if telling him. _'What the fuck, Robb?'_

Jeyne Westerling's jaw dropped. "Honey!"

"Hey, I'm quoting her exact words-"

"Waters?" Ned took a good look at him. "He's a Waters?"

"What? You're judging him because he's a bastard now?" Jon's eyes turned into slits. "Really, father?"

Ned fumbled with his tie. "I would never-"

"Yes, you did."

"No, there was something completely-"

"You did."

"Jon-"

"I can't believe you just did that, _Dad_."

"You're so sensitive about this-"

"Ahhm." Bran cleared his throat loudly, looking at something behind them in horror. "Aren't you guys like, forgetting about something?"

Everyone turned to where he was pointing and saw Gendry standing there numbly, the glass in his hand shaking the red wine onto the floor. Meena and Myrcella where on each side of him, mumbling some comforting words along the lines of: _'Don't take it personally.'_ and _'They're always like that.'_

"He's having a panic attack!" Theon pointed at him dramatically. "Great job, people."

When Arya sensed stupid, reasonless jealousy seeing the two girls touching his arms and whispering to him, Arya returned to her senses and realized that she was a shitty soulmate, and that soothing him was her job. She didn't even bother to know who was saying what anymore as she tried to come up with an escape.

"I think it's normal, lots of people have seizures like that."

"Lots of cunts."

"I think he's hyperventilating or something."

"Don't be a blond, Myr. He's not having quick breathing and shit, he is _not_ breathing, period."

"Alright, stop. It's not funny anymore."

"Son, are you alright?"

"Does anybody know where I can get a glass of water for him?"

"Keep your voices down, will you? We're starting to make a scene."

"This is no joking matter, look at the poor guy!"

"Seven save us!"

"Quick, go fetch Maester Luwin!"

"Shit!"

"Oh gods, mom, he's gonna die!"

" _Do_ something!"

"Y'all folks need to calm the fuck down."

"Just lay him on the floor."

"And raise his legs, I read about how it fixes the blood circulation."

"Don't let him die! Not in _my_ party!"

More murmurs.

More yells.

More stupidity.

"STOP IT!" Arya shouted so loudly that not just the circle looked at her, but half of the hall. "Just shut the fuck up, all of you!" She walked to Gendry, pulling him with her away. "He's not hyperventilating, he's not dying; he's just _embarrassed_! Do you know what that word fucking means? Fucking hells, just listen to yourselves!

"One night, _one_ fucking night, and you can't act like proper human beings for even one motherfucking minute! Do you have any idea what it's like to be surrounded by you! Fucking unbelievable!"

Ned sighed. "Arya, you could've just proved your point without all that swearing."

"See?!" She bared her teeth at everyone. "This, here, is the way you have been treating me since I was a fucking baby, seeing and hearing what you _choose_ to!"

"Arya," Robb said calmly, rubbing his face. "Don't turn this into a family drama."

"It _is_ a family drama," Theon replied. "Heck, it's a family catastrophe."

Everyone either looked at him nastily or shushed him.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Just saying."

"Theon?" the look in Robb's eyes were evil. "How your soulmate?"

"Fuck you, Robb." Jeyne fired back.

"Not pregnant, thanks for asking." Theon smiled darkly.

Arya's hold on Gendry's hand tightened, she tried hard to isolate her emotions and find relaxation in the touch, but her anger was becoming almost too much as her family's bullshit went on.

He squeezed back.

She nodded.

"We are _leaving_." Turning, Arya tried to ignore the eyes of all the hall's population that were burning holes through her and her soulmate's bodies while they backed away from the madness.

"Hold on." A powerful voice stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?"

Arya's lips trembled. "Out!"

"Don't you dare raise your voice, young woman." King Robert snapped. "Have some respect when your father is around!"

A large, forceful cloud of emotions hit her like a hurricane, all in one instant. It was an insane mixture that she had never felt before; anger, hatred, disappointment, vexation, neglect, sadness, spite, shock and other ones she couldn't even define.

A shiver ran through her spine at the terrible feelings that was consuming her, Arya slowly looked at Gendry, her entire frame shaking. She knew that those feelings weren't hers and wondered, with all sorts of worries, about what happened to make him feel like that.

None of those feelings were embarrassment or fear; it was not because of her family, it couldn't be.

Arya scanned the hall, looked at where he was looking with that horrifying scowl, but found nothing that might have caused it.

"I will get you out of here." She whispered as softly as she can.

"Hurry up." He said in the roughest voice that she did not recognize.

"Your grace," she turned around to meet the king in the eye, "I'm sorry but this is between me and my family."

"Shit in a cow's ass, you're not going anywhere," Arya rolled her eyes at his usual choice of words. "You will stay here and settle this mummer's farce because damn it to the seven bloody hells, your father looks like he will have blood pressure problems after this!"

Gendry's leaks of emotions were only becoming worse.

"I am going." She clinched her teeth, barely maintaining her politeness without exploding in his face. "He's my soulmate, and _I m going_ with him!"

"You want to challenge your king, wolf girl?"

She did, with every cell in her being, but the little sanity left in her convinced Arya to say the right thing. "No, your grace."

"Here," Robert turned to her father with a smug smile. "The rest is to you."

Ned grabbed Theon's shoulder - who was heading toward Jeyne and her date with murderous looks – and whispered to him sternly. "Take him to the downstairs' kitchen, and keep him there."

"But-"

One icy look was enough.

"As you command, sire." He bowed in annoyance and headed toward them.

"Don't even think about it!" Arya spat. "He's staying with me."

"No he won't." The king commanded.

 _Stop interfering with my life, you fat, drunken, nosy piece of annoying shit!_ "Why?!"

"Look, this happened all too suddenly." Ned explained. "We will talk later about everything but for now; keep him out of sight for damage control. Arya, I need you to stay here."

"I'll just go." Gendry's voice might've sounded like a silent whisper, but to her it was the angriest she's ever seen him.

"Lemme lead the way." Theon trailed after him in defeat.

"No!" She walked after him. "Gendry, what's wrong?"

He smiled at her, but it was weak. "I will just go calm down, okay? You deal with... them."

"I'm sorry."

Gendry stopped walking, looked at her for a long time and shook his head. "It's not you." He put a hand on her cheek and kissed her brow lightly. "Not this time."

Arya was confused and clueless. _What the fuck happened?_ She wondered as he took off, the hand that was beautifully caressing her skin now buried in his pocket, _Did he just see and ex or something?_ Nonetheless, she _had_ to comfort him; her soul was aching to, but how?

 _Tell him you love him._ Her mind commanded. "Gendry, I-"

"I'm sorry, ladies," Theon looked like he was genuinely apologizing to every female in the party. "I have to take the pretty boy away for now."

"I will kill you." She snarled at her stupid adopted brother.

That distraction was enough, Arya tried to find her soulmate again, but he was gone. 

* * *

Ned's instructions was to keep the guests occupied for the rest of the evening, call it off sooner than planned and apologize, make sure that anyone that was not part of the kin was out, _then_ they were going to settle the matter.

What in the Warrior's name was that specific matter, she had no idea. When Sandor Clegane and Ygritte Bael entered the family no one was embarrassed, no one was humiliated, and no one was made fun of.

So why? Why did such things only happen to her? How did she wrong them so they would make her life a living hell with every chance they had?

People came and went; some tried to speak to her, and some realized that it was dangerous and escaped before she answered them with bitterness and venom. Gendry had texted the band that he would be late so they went home sooner than expected, though, their movements were suspicious, that much she realized by watching them.

Along the fact that none of the siblings bothered to say goodbye to her, Mya and Bella aside, she was sure Edric and Bara would have talked to her if they had a chance before they left, but they didn't even seem to think about it.

BB5 left at the same time, but not together. They split like a herb of bees off to collect nectars in different areas and she did not have a glimpse of any of them after it. Granted, they had a huge event tomorrow and needed to prepare for it, but Arya was still on alert about the whole thing.

Arya tried to keep her promise and not drink too much and stay as sober as she can, but it was becoming almost unbearable to not give herself to lightness and freedom that came with the extra consumption of alcohol.

At some point Arya nearly gave up on that promise, knowing that whatever plans Gendry had had tonight already went to waste but she waited nonetheless, and made up her mind to make it up to him and turn that night into something memorable, with determination and resolve.

She had to be sober when she would tell him about her feelings.

And amidst her deep thoughts and concentration, Arya noticed something very strange and unusual. Her father wasn't taking the glasses away from the king and waving off waiters anymore, in fact, she caught him about three times sliding wine cups on the table next to them, and acting very distracted when his long time bestfriend drank with no protests whatsoever.

Her father was trying to get Robert even more drunk.

Again, the question struck her like bright traffic lights. _What the fuck is going on?_

When the coast was clear and her father was semi-free and away from his the members of the court that surrounded him, Arya decided to move and understand what he was up to, she had the right to know.

Eddard saw her coming and wiped a shy sweat from his brow, preparing himself for something Arya had yet no figured.

"Explain." She said with no further due when they were face to face.

"I am not sure, but gods forbid, a disaster is yet to come." He again played with his tie, as if it was choking the air out of him. "Dear, listen, I want you to tell me everything you know about Gendry."

"Why?" her brows pulled together in a crease, he was starting to scare her. "Is there any reason? I'm pretty sure you have better stalking skills than-"

"Arya." The coldness in his voice made her lips clip shut. "We don't have time, I need to be certain. What _do you know_?"

"I-" she chocked on her own words. What did she know about him? Exactly, not more than he know about her! "Father, I only met him a while ago."

"Tell me everything, _anything_ , damn it." He snapped.

"He-" she tried to sum up her soulmate, but how can she do that when Arya was barely getting to know him herself? "He's not an asshole. In fact, he is the nicest, most considerate person I know. He's a musician, he can play the keyboard beautifully with one hand tied behind his back and while taking a piss-"

He sighed, frustrated by her vague answers. "Family, what do you know about his family? His origins?"

"He's a bastard from King's Landing." She almost cursed herself for not knowing anything about his past life. "His foster parents are called the Motts, they own a workshop."

"How old is he?"

"He's turning twenty three in-"she didn't even know his godforsaken birthday! "I don't know, _I don't know_!"

"Does he have any siblings?" he urged her.

"Yes, four."

"And all of them bastards?"

She pressed her lips together, thinking carefully and recalling their names. _Mya Stone, Bella Rivers, Edric Storm, Bara Waters._ "Yes, but from different regions, except one." But were they his true siblings or were they friends?! With every answer she collected more questions to herself.

However, Ned seemed satisfied with that answer, but in a worried satisfied sort of way. "What do they look like?"

"What?" Arya was frightened by the amount of specific questions. "Th-They look really alike so I never thought they weren't true siblings."

"In what way?!"

"Jet black hair, big blue eyes, squared jaws-"

"Holy shit." Ned rubbed both of his hands across his face like his biggest fear just came true.

Did...

Did Lord Eddard Stark just... curse?

"Father," Arya said with a weak voice, almost sounding like a three year old baby again. "Please tell me what's happening."

"He..." Her father's teeth clinched in hopelessness; as if he was he was forgetting that his daughter was scared as hell and standing in front of him. "He might be in great danger if someone figured out what I just did."

The seriousness in her father's voice, and the thoughts of Gendry being in possible danger that even made the almighty Eddard Stark flustered was getting to her harder than she expected. It was almost insane. She suddenly felt like crying right then and there.

"Dad..." Arya whined, using that name for the first time since primary school, "Nothing will happen to Gendry, right? You will protect him, right? You can't- he- I love him, dad, please! You _have_ to protect him!"

His eyes widened in shock at her words and tone, "Oh gods, Arya." Within a second she was in his strong arms. "I won't let _anything_ happen, on my honor. Don't worry, I promise you."

"You still didn't tell me."

"Because I can't." He held her face between his hands. "Listen carefully; I want you to keep him away from here in the future, especially in important events like this. Keep him away from Sansa and her friends too, because if Sansa noticed, Myrcella will, and if Myrcella delivered even the slightest suspicion, things will get complicated, you understand?"

"Yes." She nodded, knowing too well that asking any more questions will only be a waste of time because her father never exaggerated. "I don't think that will be a problem, he will be far away tomorrow."

Without her.

"Good." Ned breathed loudly, relief returning to his large frame. "We just have to survive tonight, the rest will be easy."

After more comforting words Arya excused herself and paid a visit to the ladies' room, washing her reddened face and wet eyes, not caring anymore about what she looked like.

Meeting her reflection, she wondered when this nightmare would end so she would go back to her daily quarrels with Gendry. She was already missing the times when he became so annoyed with her that he would mess up his own hair, yell, and then forget about everything just a minute later. She missed the times when he would grin at her, laugh, call her _M'lady_ with so much love and look at her with lust that made her shiver.

She was mischievously tormenting him by keeping all these feelings hidden deep all that time, because in the inside, it was his punishment for leaving her.

Now, Arya was certain that she won't ever look at him without fear or worry, that something might happen to him and his presence in her life would be threatened, that the only happiness that filled her late days will vanish. She began to wish that _she_ was the one that had people after her.

Not him. Anyone but him.

Freshened up and straight, Arya headed out and tried to mingle into the party that was slowly dying, and in the middle of everyone and everything around her, one sight made her stop and breathe a gallon of air.

Gendry was right there, in front of the open buffet, picking up food like no one had been having a panic attack in the bathroom because of him just a few minutes ago.

"Gendry!" she called him loudly, moving in light speed toward him but he did not even acknowledge her. Arya grabbed his arm and whirled him around with all of her strength. "I was worried sick!"

He blinked, looking at her from head to toe with pure confusion. "How may I help this beautiful lady?"

Arya's eyes were almost going to pop out of their sockets and shoot toward the man. "My lord, I'm sorry I just-"

"Mistook me for someone else," Renly Baratheon chuckled humorously. "I get that a lot, no worries, lady Arya."

"Fucking hell." She cursed aloud, her mouth was already hanging when she took his appearance in; thick black hair, chiseled features, suck-me-in blue eyes, eyebrows drawing close to each other, full, kissable lips, wide shoulders, that long neck...

He was another copy of Gendry standing right in front of her, slightly older. The resemblance was uncanny, _unbelievable_. She might have never been able to tell them apart except for the fact that Renly was less muscled and Arya wasn't drawn to him by her soulmate bond.

"Oh gods, this is bad." Renly murmured, putting a finger under her jaw to put it back in place. "You need to stop looking at me like that, Arya, I know I'm hot and all but saying that my paramour is the jealous type is an understatement. Besides, you're way too young, oh and it happens that I'm gay-"

"Do you have any children?" she asked out of the absolute blue, there was no way, _no way_ that two people looked so alike just out of coincidence.

He frowned. "Well, unless Loras has secret ovaries, I'm afraid that's impossible."

 _And he's too young to be Gendry's father,_ she realized in disappointment, Arya almost thought she figured it out. "People mistake you for someone else often, who?"

"You know him very well," Renly smiled mysteriously. "He's sorta an important man."

She took off instantly, not bothering with goodbyes or courtesies, fishing the phone out of her bra and doing something she had not done since she met Gendry.

She googled someone.

* * *

Arya made it to the kitchen in a fast sprint, with every servant in the house looking at her strangely. The party had finally ended and her family was collecting themselves to come. She had to save as much time as possible.

She shouted when she entered the kitchen, but her heart sank instantly when Gendry came in her view. He was sitting in her place, desperation oozing out of him like a river and Arya had to say that she did not miss that feeling, when your sensations only became two times heavier, biling your throat and weakening your knees to the point where you just wanted to scream until your lungs hurt.

She asked Theon what he did so Gendry would be this upset, which the idiot denied any accusations but it was clear he was guilty of something.

Jory came to her for the bet but she snapped at him, she knew the winner the moment Tom announced there was a bet going on her soulmate.

"Gendry?" she whispered softly, rubbing his shoulder to make him look at her, taking pleasure in the sparks of their touch while doing so.

He grabbed her hand with the other one, pressing on it gently to give him some sort of energy, his head still on the table. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she sat next to him and did not dare to break the lock between their hands. "Gendry?"

He finally looked at her, eyes pained and bearing the weight of the world. "I should have told you."

"I know," she said, "I know."

"Trust me," his forehead rested on hers, "You don't."

"Ahhm guys, before you make out or anything," Theon popped their small bubble. "A trigger warning will be much appreciated."

"Fuck off!" she said angrily, "Go find someone else to annoy, and a life while you're at it!"

"Remember," Gendry told her when Theon left the room, "No matter what happens-"

"I know, Gendry!" she snapped at him too.

"No, you don't understa-"

"Seven fucking hells!" she opened her phone and shoved the screen at his face. "I know!"

It all made sense, the truth was laid there in front of her eyes but she refused to see it. The truth, which was at the tip of her ears but won't go inside. From Gendry's irrational hate toward highborn people, to his strength, temper, and similarities with that man, to her father's fears – most probably because of queen Cersei's wrath, to how Renly Baratheon resembled him.

The phone trembled in her hand, the picture probably blurring when Gendry looked at it. The photograph was taken twenty four years ago at The Rebellion, the king standing in all his glory, a flag in his hand, his large muscled arms glowing.

It was a picture of the young king Robert Baratheon, or as a simpler way to say it, her soulmate's birth father, who made Gendry look like a recreation of him.

"I know." She said. "And I don't care. I still love you... I love you... I fucking love you... so much it hurts, so much that it's driving me crazy, you fucking-"

Arya didn't even get to finish her not so well practiced confession until she felt a strong pair of hands cupping the back of her head, grabbing her hair in fists, and silencing her, with the lips she had missed in so long, in the most beautiful way possible.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen (Finale): Ride**

 _I was always an unusual girl_

 _My mother told me I had a chameleon soul_

 _No moral compass pointing me north_

 _No fixed personality_

 _Just an inner indecisiveness, that was as wide an as wavering as the ocean_

 _And if I said I didn't plan it to turn out this way_

 _I'd be lying_

 _Because I was born to be the other woman_

 _Who belonged to no one, who belonged to everyone_

 _Who had nothing, who wanted everything_

 _With a fire for every experience_

 _And an obsession for freedom that terrified me_

 _To a point I couldn't even talk about_

 _And pushed me to an nomadic point of madness that both dazzled and dizzied me_

 _I never thought I'd find my people_

 _But finally I did_

 _On the open road_

 _We had nothing to lose, nothing to gain, nothing we desired anymore_

 _Except to make our lives into a work of art_

* * *

Arya stood completely erect behind her soulmate, like a merciless bodyguard on standby as her kin seated themselves, with her arms crossed, a glare fixated around her features on everyone and everything, sending a slight warning that didn't escape any of them.

"Arya," her mother put a hand on her heart. "Stop looking at us like that."

"I choose not to."

"You're making me very uncomfortable."

"That's the point."

"I wonder..." Sansa tabbed a finger on her mouth, thinking thoroughly. "Why your lips look so swollen, sister."

Robb narrowed his eyes knowingly. "Indeed."

Her mother's mouth gaped open. "Don't tell me that you picked up a fight again, Arya, I swear by the gods-"

Ygritte snorted, sending an evil looking smirk at Catelyn. "You're so adorable."

"Fuck off!"

With a groan, Ned and Jory placed the unconscious drunken king on the kitchen's sofa, a look of relief and satisfaction settling on her father's demeanor at his successful attempt to keep him away from Gendry.

"One more curse word," the head of the family announced. "And I'll kick you out, I swear it."

Arya shut her mouth in dismay.

When Ned took his chair at the middle of the table, everyone prepared themselves for yet another family interview, it had been a very productive month for the Starks, as three of them introduced their soulmates at that very table, Ygritte and Sandor were amused to see that they were a part of the interrogation this time, not the center of it.

She remembered it very well. How the wildling's vulgar language had frightened her mother, but didn't even surprise Ned, who was already aware that his children weren't all sweet manners and politeness with their own circles. The Hound though, had proved that not only his face was hard and scary, yet he eventually was badly cornered and abused with questions that left him flustered and speechless.

Now, it was Gendry's turn, who, after that intimate moment with herself, the confession, revelation, and one sensational kiss that was desired for so long, seemed so happy and above the clouds that not even the Night's King himself wouldn't manage to rain on his parade, his biological father in his current coma and the possible danger on his life long forgotten. Arya had started to believe that the idiot would die happily right now.

The mere words 'Gendry' and 'die' in one series of thoughts made Arya uneasy but she quickly pushed it aside, forever.

"So, Gendry," Ned started, with his trademark cold smile. "No need to be uneasy or anything, we're just going to chat with you, know some things since you'll be a part of the family in the future."

"Nonsense," Catelyn denied, casting him a warm look. "He already is."

"Not at all." Gendry answered easily like she expected. "I'm sure that it would be a pleasure, Lord and Lady Stark."

"Oh, _son_." Her mother's face instantly lightened at the unfamiliar politeness that didn't usually come with her recent soulmate children. "Please, call me Cat," she pointed at her husband, "And Ned."

Eddard raised an eyebrow, " _Sir_ would suffice."

"I'm Robb," her brother was leaned on the chair, flicking a lighter on and off threateningly - in which, mind you, was brought out of absolutely nowhere - "The eldest."

"You know who I am." Jon was playing with a table knife, examining its sharpness, even _more_ threateningly.

Arya groaned.

"I'm Sansa, but you already know that," her sister said cheekily, pulling the ever grumpy looking Sandor close to her side. "And this is my soulmate, Sandor, the hero who saved all of us that night."

Ned's stare immediately detached from Gendry to his eldest daughter. "I'm not quite following. What night?"

The redhead chuckled nervously, waving her hand frantically. "Never mind that, father."

The rest were introduced, some awkwardly, some shamelessly (e.g Margery). Gendry took it all in, confused but not dispirited, _yet_.

"Firstly," Ned folded his hands together. "Would you show us your tattoo?"

"Father!" Arya immediately exclaimed.

"We just want to make sure that the Joffery incident doesn't happen again."

"No!" she said, ignoring the memory that was a taboo to the whole family since Sansa got sexually harassed by that repulsive, disgusting, continuously horny prince, who somehow convinced her that he was her soulmate and no one bothered to check.

The mere comparison between the two – even though Arya now knows that they are related by blood – seemed sickening, the weary expression of her siblings proved that she wasn't the only one who was feeling that way.

"Hey les'all be fair here." Ygritte said defensibly. "The last time I was here in the boy's place, I literally _stripped_ for y'all."

That was true, she completely made a show of it and almost drove Theon mad back then. Whilst Sandor, upon asking him, directly glared at her father and said _'Are you fucking serious?'_ since his tattoo was more than well displayed on his neck, needless to say, her father gave him hell through the meeting and scared him shitless, Arya can't say he didn't deserve it.

Ned sighed.

Catelyn was sipping a glass of water but she muttered her words anyway. "No one asked you to, dear."

Jon seemed to be concentrating on something entirely different, with a very scary face, not engaging enough to say anything about the subject.

"Ho'else would I show you my shin, per se?"

"Shin, Ygritte." Sansa said. "You took _all_ your clothes off."

"I was wearing a dress coat!"

"You didn't have to stand on the table-"

"I wanted you to see well!"

"I'll do it." Grinning, Gendry pushed the chair back, ignoring the tension in the room and taking off his suit jacket with fast hands, the shirt was soon opened and there was a collective gasp from all the ladies present.

Sandor was literally covering Sansa's eyes, despite her whines.

Meera and Myrcella were colored crimson, a long wolf whistle came from Ygritte on instinct, and finally, a flash from Margery's phone was the last straw.

"Seriously?!" Arya snapped at her.

"Can't believe you were keeping this all to yourself," Margery muttered, informing, "Snapchatting this right now."

Her father was flustered as well, for completely different reasons. "Oh _gods_ , Arya."

Rickon was trying to utter human words but his uncontrollable laughter didn't seem to allow it, Bran helplessly followed.

Catelyn's hand joined her forehead in frustration. " _Oooh_ dear."

"Is there something wrong?" Gendry asked with furrowed eyebrows, glancing at Arya behind him.

Robb tried to remain collected, but upon hearing Rickon and Bran, he joined them.

"Very mature, guys!" Arya yelled.

Robb took a long breath, his face completely flushed from the exercise. " _Maggish_ hotness?" after another fit, he leaned back and tried to cover his mouth. "Gods, where the heck is Theon?"

"I thought your first words were _I'm sorry_?" Jon finally seemed to come back to the present. "You _lied_ to me?"

"Can you blame 'er?" Ygritte replied.

"Sit back, Gendry." Ned finally had enough.

"Our first meeting was a bit of a haste," Gendry, to her utter surprise, was talking very reasonably, finally understanding the confusion that was taking place. "She wasn't in the right mind to remember the details, though I take the blame for that."

Catelyn sighed. "She was drunk, wasn't she?"

"Is that an actual question, ma'am?" Margery remarked.

"My lady," Gendry darted her with a heart melting smile. "I meant that I was very rude, and in a rush, she was barely coming down on stage when we bumped into each other. Like I said, I'm the one to blame, my words, and I'm sure, the pain that I caused her, was unconsciously done. I promise you that I'll forever try to make it up."

Arya's chest tightened at his use of words, if his goal was to charm the mother _and_ daughter, then he was more than just successful, though Jon just consented to glare at him in pure hatred.

Arya was confused and had a silent conversation with her brother, only with their eyes. A short curious head shake and a raise of chin was immediately translated to _'What's wrong, Jon?'_ – _'I'll tell you later'_ in her head.

That did not make her at ease.

Meanwhile, Theon came back into the gathering, looking flustered yet unusually quiet. To her utter shock, in more than just disinterest and boredom, he did not join the table but chose to pour himself a fresh glass of wine and lean on the counter, lost in his own thoughts. God knows what took place between him, Jeyne, and her date.

"How old are you?" her father resumed.

"Twenty four, sir."

"A bit older than Arya, aren't you?"

"Does it matter?" he answered gracefully. "Your daughter's character can bring any man, at any age, to her submission."

Arya grinned, Catelyn was eager to hear more, and Ned was impressed. "Don't you find her character difficult?"

"I find it perfect."

Robb rolled his eyes. "Don't sugar coat it, Gendry."

"Rest assured, I'm not." he said. "Her character... the liveliness, brings out the best of me. I'm stiff? She's enthusiastic. I'm calm? She has the most urgent temper. We like different things, have different hobbies, entirely different circles, and in the future we'll teach each other about them. Though we are both very stubborn and our communication isn't at best, but we will definitely work through them. In my view, we are a perfect balance. The gods won't join us for nothing."

By the looks of the majority of the table, Gendry could've taken his reward and left victorious right then and there. But alas, his perfect answer seemed to challenge everyone. Especially with the mention of the 'F' word, that to Arya was a landmine waiting to be stepped on.

"Future, huh? So do tell me," her father inquired. "What are your plans? And where does Arya stand in them?"

Her brows lifted uncomfortably. "Hey, aren't you being too serious-"

"Shhhh." Robb was more than engrossed.

"I'm hoping for a good career in the music industry." Gendry said after a while. "With of course, my siblings with me. If that didn't work, I have other plans and qualities that I can use to support myself and I'll have Arya always as a priority."

She didn't want to scoff him out loud, since he clearly chose between his career and her already, but Arya was determined to give a good impression, thus, avoiding any quarrels in front of her family.

Jon's eyes turned into slits but Gendry seemed to fully ignore him.

"But Gendry, dear," Catelyn said, "If you want to pursue your goals, you'd leave a huge distance between you two quiet often. You know the temptation that comes along with fame, that, if you ever made it so far."

"Lady Cat." Gendry said with determination. "Nothing can be more tempting than my soulmate."

The room fell into silence again, and Arya was more than impressed, she leaned in, whispering in his ear with fascination. "Do you have cheat sheet or something?"

He just turned, gave her a wink, accompanied by a winning grin and looked forth again.

The talk went on, and more family members joined in.

"Are you always an asshole?" Robb asked curiously.

"I don't know where that false input came from..." Gendry said, trying not to glare at his soulmate, "But if you got to know me better, you'd know that I'm a very nice man."

"But your words, dude."

"Like I said, it came out in an impulse, and I will make it up."

"What is your current job?"

"I'm a member of a band."

"What is it called?"

"BB5."

"What does it stand for?"

"Blithe Blaze." The lie came out too easily, but Arya caught it.

"What do you play?"

"The keyboard, we are a Metal band, but we have occasional diversions."

"Can you play the piano?"

"Yes."

"How tall are you?"

"Six foot two." Sansa answered for him.

"Do you like kids?"

"Very fund of them."

"How many do you want?"

"Ahm."

"Have you ever considered modeling?"

"Uhh."

"Do you always wear Calvin Clien as a preference?"

"..."

"Can you cook?"

"Yeah? I'm the one who cooks for my foster dad."

"You lucky bitch." That was directed to Arya, from Margery of course.

"What about the mom?"

"She died a long time ago, R'hllor bless her."

"You worship the Lord of Light?"

"Yes."

"Were you raised to it?"

"No, I converted after I met Beric, we are close friends, he gave me a new insight."

"Since when?"

"About nine years."

"Can you get me his autograph?" that was asked by Bran.

Gendry smiled. "I can make you meet him in person if you want."

Bran's jaw hanged.

"How many siblings do you have?"

"Four."

"Will they be mean to Arya?"

"They adore her, but two of them are sometimes rude."

"Oh, do you defend her against them?"

He smiled. "M'lady doesn't need any defending; she handles them better than me."

"Do you approve of Arya's violence?"

"She doesn't need my approval on that; I can even be her punching bag if she wants."

"That does not answer the question."

"Honestly? It's hot as hell."

"What is your opinion of our family?"

"I'm already liking you."

"That's new..."

"That's bullshit." Sandor deadpanned.

"Will you visit us a lot?"

"Of course, Rickon."

"Call me Rick, brother!"

Arya was more than shocked, he was _completely_ winning them over, one by one.

"How strong is your attachment to her?"

That was the question that changed the whole room's atmosphere, dropping the temperature by a couple of degrees, asked by Ned, who was very serious and demanding an honest answer, Arya was already having unwelcomed goosebumps about her.

"Yes." Her mother added. "How much do you fancy our daughter?"

"Fancy?" Gendry answered, incredulous. "I _love_ her."

The whole room was wide eyed.

He continued, "I love her so much I don't know what to do with it. No power on earth would keep me away from her, please understand, if I was ever serious about anything, _attached_ , it is Arya, and only her."

She sucked in a long breath. That was it. _Check mate_.

He couldn't have said it more perfectly, and Arya found herself placing both hands on his shoulders to steady herself, that was by far the sweetest, deepest, most genuine and embarrassing thing someone had ever said about her.

The men looked uncomfortable, smiling thinly, the women had dreamy eyes all over, Rickon seemed very happy, Sansa was _awww_ ing and her mother was wiping some fresh happy tears.

"Beautifully said." Ned finally raised a white flag

"You are asking all the wrong questions." Arya closed her eyes miserably when the biggest troublemaker, Theon, stood behind Bran. "If I were you, sire, I'd tell him to calm down and move slowly before your grandchildren start popping out too early. I mean, the disturbing face-sucking showdown I witnessed before you guys came in..."

"Theon Balon Greyjoy!" her mother scolded loudly.

* * *

"Alright, what the actual fu-"

"I got you something."

"Oh gods."

"I was saving it for your birthday-"

"This doesn't seem good."

"I have to give it to you now because-"

"Who died?"

"Arya." Jon's eyes snapped open in impatience. "Just _shut up_ for a second, would you?"

Palm open and with a metal clack, a very beautiful set of keys settled on her hand, shining and welcoming to the touch. "Please tell me you just bought me a nice keychain." Arya tried to not look at the brand name and think too much.

"Cute, but no." He pointed at the keys. "Remember my obsession with four wheelers and how it rubbed off on you?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I might have quit racing and joined the military but," he pressed his lips together. "I don't think our obsession ever died down now, did it?"

Arya shook her head. "Jon-"

"I remember how you enjoyed the rides we took together on my Yamaha, you picked it up way too fast and soon you were driving it behind my back."

She smiled at the memory, and how he always covered for her when she came back home muddy, messed up, and insanely happy. Those tiny pieces and moments shared with her half brother were the best parts of her repressed childhood.

"I will be leaving soon, Ar." He sighed, closing his eyes. "And I know I'm never much at home but I and Ygritte will live together now, and I don't think we'll see each other soon."

Arya laughed nervously, trying to reassure him. "Oh come on, a few months and you'll be at the mansion's doorsteps, like always."

"I might." He said firmly, leading her to the hallway's window that was facing the garage. "But I won't leave without giving you something to remember me with."

Arya gasped, the view almost blinding her at the spot. What was in front of the garage, freshly pulled out, was Jon's white truck that always carried his four wheelers when he set off for the Night Base, but this time none of his Raptors were there, not even the Yamaha, instead, it was carrying the almost sparkling brand new DTV Shredder all-terrain vehicle she always told Jon about, dreaming of the day she can finally convince her father to get her one.

The body and design was mesmerizing, from its black proud neck, metal tank treads and white skateboard deck, it was a beautiful combination of a tank, skateboard and motocross bike, begging her to be claimed as hers and hers only, to be ridden on a wild adventure until both the vehicle and the owner wearied themselves out til the last reckless breath.

"Check out the steering handle, it sorta looks like-"

"A needle." She finished off, with a wide grin dominating her face. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"You bet," he smiled back. "It was custom designed especially for this cause. Since we all know your devotion and hard work during Mordane's sewing lessons."

Arya, a bit distracted by giggling like a kid on Christmas morning, did not fail to notice a silhouette of a figure opening the gates, that's when loud horns were heard and hushed shouts that resembled _Edric's_ voice, out of all suspects.

"Hey isn't that-"

Jon immediately shut the curtains, ending the presentation. "That's another surprise."

"Arranged by whom?"

Jon huffed, annoyed but holding his anger. "Do you even have to ask?"

Arya's smile just grew into a happy toothy display.

He took her appearance in and messed her hair roughly, as if punishing her for having such a spontaneous soulmate. She tried to wiggle free but to no avail, the half assed attempts made him laugh and pull her in a very tight hug. "I'll miss you, sis."

"Uhh Jon? Isn't it too early for goodbyes?"

"Just stay silent." He clutched into her as if to make sure she's real, his voice barely there. "I hate him."

"You really don't."

He gave her room to breathe, and just ruffled her hair more. "You better take good care of the DTV-"

"Needle." She corrected, "I'll take care of Needle, no worries." She held the chain firmly in front of him. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Yeah," he gestured at the key, dead serious. "You stick it inside the keyhole with the pointy end."

She rolled her eyes. _Out of all the instructions a former notorious dirt biker could give_. "I know that, stupid."

He laughed, paused to think of something unsettling, and with no warning hugged her one more time. "Take care of yourself too, little wolf."

"I will." She wrapped her arms around him, feeling the intensity of his emotions taking effect on her too, Arya did not know why.

When Jon finally had the heart to walk away, she swore that she heard angry mutters from him that sounded a hell a lot like _'That sister stealing bastard'._

* * *

Playing with the keychain around her index finger, Arya finally gave up on finding Gendry's whereabouts, the family had called their quits and went to sleep and her soulmate was still nowhere to be found.

Perhaps the bullhead just decided to bail out on her and didn't bother to say goodbye. That was just an angry conclusion, really, because she was already drained from that night's events. _He better be in my room,_ she thought, _or I'll fuck him up._

However, when Arya pushed the huge _'Keep Out'_ sign on her doorframe, she was glad that the mental threat was uncalled for, because Gendry Waters was fixed on her very bed, hands behind him to balance his dazzling heavy body. He was still as a stone, his confused ocean blue eyes settled on one particular spot with a deep scowl and crunched eyebrows.

There was something eerily off about everything when she looked around, something _missing_ , but Gendry's presence didn't let her put a finger on it yet.

"Nice room." He said, still not looking at her but the giant object in front of him. "I don't want to piss you off or anything. It _is_ very expressive," He pointed a distracted hand around all the posters, "But it's beginning to creep me out."

She took a seat beside him, her hands folded together while chewing on her lip, examining his crumbled poster on the front of her dear punching bag, which was frequently attacked with no mercy, and felt really ashamed of herself. Arya knew that he was trying to change the subject and not point out the almost future promise of domestic abuse.

"Listen-"

"Y'know," he bent his head to the side in question. "I did say I'm ready to be your punching bag but I did not mean it _literally_." Gendry breathed in deep. "Arya, it has fucking _blood_ on it."

"I can explain-"

He shook his head. "I don't even want to know."

Arya was determined make a good statement, however, she did not get to turn to him and open her mouth the slightest before it was shut again, her words getting swallowed by Gendry's hard and impatient lips.

She sighed, slowly yielding and allowing herself to completely give in, no arguments _there_. Gendry secured her neck in his big hand, deepening the already deep and pushing his masculine frame on her until he had Arya's body plastered under him, his elbow on the right side of her head and his knee touching her thigh in an unbreakable position, allowing no escape.

Arya welcomed it eagerly, savoring the sensation he gave her like an addiction that did not seem to be capable to die away. Her mouth already being in his mercy, was attacked straight away with a tongue that was both forceful and passionate with its movement with her own.

"I was waiting for a fucking hour." He whispered, looking at her flushed and panting state. His tongue started sliding delicately across her jaw, every little action rough and intense. "Say it again." His lips kissed every inch of her face in hunger until he found his way to her throat, "I want to hear it." Sucking possessively on the untouched skin, Gendry scrapped his teeth in teasing motions, driving her insane.

 _I love you, damn it_. And, without warning and realizing she said it out loud, he planted a firm bite right on her sweet spot.

That's when she started moaning with no shame.

Gendry's grip tightened, her fingers ran through his thick hair, gripping on it perhaps too painfully and pulling him down as much as physically possible so his lips would take their rightful place on hers.

The mattress creaked and the sheets moved wildly under them, but he did not do anything yet but make her crazy with that mouth, so without thinking and only by animalistic instinct, her hand travelled down blindly to grab the bottom of that _goddamn_ shirt of his, which was opened a while ago and revealing parts of his flesh to those girls downstairs.

The thought made her mad, a wave of jealousy consuming her, Margery and the other women did not deserve to see it so closely and look at him so hungrily, he was hers to be admired and touched.

 _Mine, mine, mine,_ her mind chanted, wanting to claim him once and for all, every inch of muscle and skin, _mine only_.

In an attempt to pull his clothes off and end everyone's misery, Arya's fingers found themselves running on top the contracting muscles under them and she could not simply stop. She suddenly couldn't comprehend it anymore; _believe_ it, the idea, that seemed more of an illusion through all this madness - that Gendry Waters, was in all rights her _own_ soulmate, _all hers,_ no jealousy and claim needed.

 _'I will forever try to make it up.'_

He groaned, the sound vibrating against her skin.

 _'Nothing can be more tempting than my soulmate.'_

He whispered her name.

 _'If I was ever serious about anything'_

She fumbled with his shirt.

 _'Attached,'_

He helped her.

 _'It is Arya, and only her."_

Her breath hitched when he flung it across the room.

 _'I love her.'_

Her fingers wrapped around his biceps, the greatest things she ever got her hands on, staring at him and saying a thousand words, _begging_ for it.

" _Shit_."

Only, the demonic voice in Gendry's head seemed to take surface again, his blue eyes flickered for a second; an interruption, a small brush of sanity returning when it wasn't even needed, but she saw it, felt it, almost started panicking because of it.

"Arya," his voice came out husky and heavy. "We have to stop."

"No." Her grip tightened around his arms, nails digging painfully. "We _don't_."

"I have to-" And just like that, he was three feet away, looking around the room, the walls, the furniture, anything but her. "Where's my jacket?"

"What the actual fuck?!" she snapped, her bubble of pleasure completely shattering to a million disappointed particles in the air.

"My jacket?"

"Who gives a shit about your jacket?!"

 _He is_ not _leaving!_ She thought, devastated. _He will not leave it at this!_

Yet there he was, searching angrily for his clothes.

"You are not leaving!" she ended up yelling.

He paused, mid-search, his face forming itself into such a surprised looking grimace that Arya, for a moment, thought that he had just seen a blonde posting the dumbest question on _Yahoo Answer_ 's history.

" _Leaving_?" he continued his search. "Who the hell said I'm leaving?"

"What?!"

"What?"

"Gendry," she clinched her teeth so hard her gum started hurting. "Would you _look_ at me?!"

"I can't!" he declared, picking up his godsforsaken jacket and pulling something out and shoving it in his pocket in light speed.

"Bloody Faceless God almighty!" her mind couldn't even process any more curse words. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

His head rose at the prayer, as if saying, _'Really, Arya?'_ he looked at her for one split second then diverted his eyes again, mumbling to himself and walking toward her. "This is not working."

He picked up the neglected sheets and literally covered Arya with it.

"What are you _doing_?"

"This dress," he said in frustration. "Is a fucking punishment."

"Really?" she watched him stand in front of her, eyes puzzled and nerves pouring out of him. " _Really_?!"

When a few minutes passed and Gendry still didn't explain his sadistic streaks, Arya was about to lose it.

"What?" she snapped, "You want me to go all Saudi and cover my face too?"

He quirked his lips a bit, considering. "Now that you mention it-"

"Fuck off."

He was chuckling; the bastard was _chuckling_ at her miseries.

 _I will kill him. I will fucking murder him in cold blood._

"Arya," he cleared his throat, as if trying to make a speech. "Could you just be a bit calmer, I want us to remember this moment for the rest of our lives, okay? So just go along with me."

" _Calm_?" she said in disbelieve. "What you did back there should be labelled a first degree crime you fucking-"

"I've been doing some thinking for the past week..." he stopped and shook his head. "Well, a shitton of thinking to be honest, the no-eat, no-sleep, piss-off-your-sisters kinda thinking. I came up with a decision that can cost me my head, but I just don't care anymore, I know I'll probably won't have it my way but I'll try. I've made my mind, spoke to Jon, hinted it to your dad, arranged everything-"

"Gendry, do us all a favor," she offered, finding it hard to not stare at that almost Greek looking half naked body. "Put your running shoes on and get to the fucking point already."

Gendry ran a hand through his hair, messing it completely. "I'll just ask you a yes or no question, you hear me? Your answer would be a _yes_ or a _no_. Simple as that."

Arya, by that point, stopped breathing completely.

"Remember, I don't want to force you on anything."

She stared at him as he closed in.

"I don't even think you'll say yes."

He knelt in front of her on one knee.

"But... it will make me the happiest man alive."

He took out a small velvet box from his pocket.

"The moment I saw this grey eyed wild woman dancing on stage, I was bewitched," _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,_ "To the very core, she was so beautiful, mesmerizing, and so out of this world I felt unworthy of her, I still do." _No, no, no, no, hell no, no, no, no, STOP!_ "Arya Stark, you crazy, gorgeous, enchanting girl-"

How could he fucking ask this of her? Just _how_? How truly stupid was Gendry to do this?! She couldn't believe it, her answer was made up the moment she put the pieces together.

 _NO._

She heard a click and realized that the box was opened, but her eyes were shut. She didn't think that if she opened them the answer would be changed, there couldn't be any gem or diamond in there that would change her mind and accept a fucking _marriage proposal,_ at age _nineteen_.

But Arya knew nothing. Her decision was nothing.

She shakily opened her eyes, which settled on a very beautiful, small, round, and delicate object.

Her resolve was completely shattered.

It was a compass. A fucking marble sized _compass_.

"Will you travel the world with me?"

There are some moments in life when a person starts believing; whether it was in karma, gods, religion, supernatural forces, there is a certain point when you're so overwhelmed with satisfaction that you think that maybe all the hardships you went through, all the good deeds you've done carelessly, all the prayers and wishes that you released, were counted.

That everything will turn around, all collected, and lay on your hands as a reward, a small token of appreciation, hope, and most importantly, granted _fate,_ that dreams couldn't just be achieved, but they could happen in scenarios that are much better that you never even considered it.

She swallowed a deep breath, similar to the one she took on her first encounter with Gendry, and tried to speak as steadily as she can. "You _bastard_."

"Y'know, I've heard this so many times it's not even offensive anymore." He burst laughing like she said the most hilarious thing ever. "Your face though, _priceless_."

Arya did the only thing sensible at the moment; she put her head in her palms and cried.

Gendry's face fell, or his emotions really, because Arya couldn't see anything.

"Oh _fuck_!" he cursed, twitching. "I'm sorry, _shit_ , this was all Ed's idea, I'm so sorry! The fucktard said it'll be more touching if I made it look like I was proposing – please stop crying – I take it back! I take it all back!"

"No," she whined, talking like she was underwater. "I just don't know what to do with this feeling."

Gendry was now close to her, but too afraid and panicked to do anything, her nine thousand different emotions not helping him to read her. "What feeling?"

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, but that did not help stopping the silent tears. "Happiness."

Within a blink, she was in his arms, he pulled her so fast and urgently that she fell out of the bed and sheets and settled right on his laps, her messed up face buried on his naked chest, his scent soothing her.

He leaned down, his forehead on her shoulder, strong arms securing her in place. "We've been planning this for a week, Mya and Bella were panicking on the way here because if we get caught your house guard will kill us, but who fucking cares anyway? Jon almost murdered me when I revealed the scheme but he helped me pack your things before you came in, everything is ready, we'll be leaving tonight ahead of the rest, and I have a surprise for you."

She _knew_ something was strange about her room, looking around, Arya finally saw that there were some pieces missing, some pictures, her favorite pillow, some autographed posters from her favorite artists, her kickboxing medals she collected over the years, and she didn't even _notice_.

Arya gulped, slightly angry that he and the rest hid this from her. "No, no, no, I had enough surprises for one damn night." she hated that her voice was so deep and weepy. "Say it right now."

He sighed, his breath on her skin sending a shiver down her spine. "The girls went to pick up a fellow in a certain animal shelter; the information was Jon's courtesy, by the way."

Her eyes widened when she, while her heart became thunderous against her ribcage, connected the dots together.

She buried herself even more in Gendry's body, clutching him onto him for dear life.

There were some thing Arya wished for, but that's what they were, _wishes,_ never actual concrete plans. From owning a DTV Shredder, to getting out of the Stark mansion and travel the world, having Nymeria back with her, and finally, being with Gendry.

Everything was way too surreal to be digested.

"Just say yes." Gendry put his hands on her temples, brushing her hair away from her face, thumbs wiping the tears gently, and sensual eyes casually killing her from the inside. "Please."

Arya wanted to do all sorts of things at that moment, for starters, she wanted to kiss him out of his wits, drag him back to her bed, and do things they both badly craved for, she wanted to curse at him, yell at him, be angry because he was actually _considering_ that she would decline him.

She never really did say yes.

Intensified silence dragged itself to nerve wrecking extremes until Arya stood up, wiggling free from her soulmate's lap who was eagerly waiting for an answer for the last ten minutes on the floor of her room. Arya looked at him, eyes penetrating his skin as she circled around his figure, measuring every visible feature of Gendry Waters.

Both of his knees on the floor, apart from each other so she could clearly see his V-line and every muscle pattern of his torso, complimented by the tattoo decorating the right side of his chest, then his arms, on each side hanging to present the goodness of his biceps, then the shoulder blades and back, wide, strong and sculptured like a statue of Atlas.

Arya faced him again, smiling wickedly, making up her mind and not in the need to mutter her words or think of them, they needed to get out in the open, loud, with confidence and resolve.

"Holy fucking Maggish hotness."

* * *

 _Kissing and fulfilling their cravings were done sensationally that night, better than any of her fantasies and imaginations now that Arya remembers; her body was exhausted, drained, touched with love marks and bruises almost on every inch, but she never felt more alive as she was seated at that truck on the way to Braavos._

 _The sun was shyly making its descend up the horizon, street signs and cars flying with blurry speed past the window, Nymeria fast asleep hours ago in the backseat, she glanced at her and Gendry's stubborn intertwined hands that never broke apart since the journey started, his other gripping on the steering wheel. Even without being able to look at her, he smiled, knowing that her gaze on him and Arya, for the first time since she opened her eyes to the world, felt like she belonged in it._

 **The End.**

* * *

 _[A/N]_

Seriously, am I the only one who's starting to adore Cersei after that epic trailer? #JustSayin

This is not the end of this fanfiction so stay tuned, but I'm afraid, that it's the end of Gendrya's storyline. Try to listen to Lana Del Rey's 'Ride' while reading, (the chapter's opening) for it was the song that inspired me to write this story from the beginning, great stuff, especially the monologue.


	17. Chapter 17

**_A/N_**

 _Karsi_ is the Wilding woman from season 5, episode 8, who died five minutes after I claimed her as my new favorite character (Damn you Benioff and Weiss)

* * *

 **Perfectly Different (Jon and Ygritte's story)| Chapter One: The Kicker**

With the coffee machine safely turned off, and the pancakes beautifully being made in the pan, Ygritte actually thought that with all the practice that she, for once, will not burn the breakfast food into crisps.

The irony in Ygritte's twenty three years of life never seemed to cease, because compared to her legendary aunt, Karsi Bane, the greatest chef of her time as she liked to be called (and probably deserved it), Ygritte was an embarrassment, who barely made it out of the kitchen alive after trying to cook something decent.

Karsi was the toughest woman she'd ever known, a force to be reckoned with; a persona that no one in Ygritte's life ever seemed to approach close to when it came to sheer badassery.

She was soulmate to her uncle, Tormund Giants Bane, they were the only family relation she had left after her parents passed away twenty two years ago.

Having no children before Ygritte dove into their lives, the couple took her in with opened arms.

With a toddler joining their family, Karsi had decided to ditch her fast food diet and takeaways routine, toss it out of the window, and start taking cooking classes for her sake.

And that's where her aunt's passion bloomed.

Ygritte was about four when Karsi started working in a family restaurant in the small town of Hardhome, ten when she opened her very first diner, fifteen when she became the Head Chef at Riverland's most expensive five star restaurant – The Trident, and eighteen when she and Tormund had enough and decided to move there.

Despite the common stereotype that accompanied female chefs, Karsi had a slim figure, rarely smiled, and never accepted the offers to do any morning cook shows in her entire career, the only time she appeared on TV was when she became a one season lead at _Hell's Kitchen_ , but she never renewed her contact, her reasons specifically were: _'I'm surrounded by fucking sissies in every corner, I had to get the bloody fuck outta there.'_

"Alright, Gil, you're ready?" Ygritte removed the pan from the stove and maneuvered into the kitchen table.

Gilly, who had one fork in each hand, nodded nervously, knowing that something terrible was going to befall on her. "Shoot."

After placing everything in front of her flatmate, Ygritte sat opposite of her eagerly waiting for good feedback.

"Magnificent." Gilly covered her mouth in awe.

"Really?"

"Yes." She honestly said, Gilly couldn't utter one lie for the life of her, it was physically impossible. "It's magnificent how you can royally fuck up pancakes, and _coffee_."

Ygritte groaned miserably. "What now?"

"I'm pretty sure you put salt in here." The doe eyed brunette said, glaring at the mug with a grudge, "And it's overheated, like _way_ overheated. And... and... I don't know, I honestly don't know how you can mess up a _prepared_ pancake mix, it tastes like shrimps. Just... _how_?"

Ygritte put her head flat on the table, pretending to sob dramatically. "I fucking _tried_."

Gilly patted her shoulder in understanding. "Just stick with your archery, Gritte, someone else can take over your aunt's legacy."

She snorted, a playful smile on her lips. "Do you think Snow would ever try to eat my food?"

"Who knows," Gilly laughed, her adorable crooked teeth in display. "Maybe he'll struggle all the way to the end if he actually loved you that much."

He'd be the first one to actually eat something Ygritte made, all of it.

She shook that silly thought away, not wanting to be too hopeful. And worse, give the guy food poisoning.

"He won't."

"Bullshit," Gilly waved a hand. "Even Sam tastes your... _food_... when you offer him any."

"Gil, I'm pretty sure the bloke just does it for your sake." Ygritte argued. "Not all of us have helplessly romantic soulmates who would cross an ocean for us."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Sam is a shitty swimmer." She shrugged. "And who says Snow wouldn't be like that?"

"Gil, have you _seen_ me?"

"More than humanly necessary."

Ygritte held both arms wide apart, as if explaining everything.

"Gritte, if you're fishing for compliments..."

"No!" she denied. "I really mean it, look at me, what the _fuck_ would I do with a hopeless romantic?"

Gilly smiled mischievously. "Want a list?"

There was a loud, tired groan.

"You don't get it, Gil." Ygritte shook her head. "You don't."

"What did he look like?"

"Huh?"

"You never talk about it."

Ygritte scratched the back of her head, looking anywhere but in her friend's eyes.

Gilly did not fail to see her flatmate's sly smile at the first mention of her soulmate, it was infectious, and she found herself grinning. "He was that good looking, huh?"

 _Yes, of yes. The hottest creature I have ever seen, or will see in my whole fucking life._ She shrugged. "He was fine, I guess."

" _Fine_ gives me an unlimited amount of images to work on..."

Ygritte pressed her lips, thinking carefully of the night she met him, almost five months ago. She tried not to drink that much lately, because a lot of people had the misfortune to encounter her drunk self and live to tell about it, which was never a good thing. However, that night at LordO'Bone's local bar, during the soccer game, Ygritte's whole life changed when she drank perhaps too much to forget about yet another disaster of a job interview.

Her mouth filter was off and Ygritte found herself uttering nonsense to whoever passed by, and that's when a very handsome man, maybe her age or older, appeared to sit right beside her, giving Ygritte butterflies she never thought existed at her stomach. To her utter shock, the idiot actually thought that her babe, Neymar fucking Jr., would miss a golden chance, and she couldn't help but call bullshit on his hopes.

He stared at her too long for her liking, making Ygritte so nervous her whole body twitched uncomfortably, men never had that affect on her, but somehow, that handsome stranger, with those _mesmerizing_ ash grey eyes that haunted her dreams later, the pale skin, that unique dimple that appeared only on one side of his face, and dark curled hair that men killed for managed to pull her into a moment of utter frenzy, but unfortunately, Ygritte wasn't there, it was her drunken alter ego that dealt with the situation, in the worst way possible.

Ygritte was always a rude, dirty minded, simple young woman with a loose tongue who never took anything seriously, her twenty something failed job interviews in the past two years were enough proof.

Karsi never approved of her daughter's life style and tried very hard to pull some strings for her, and yes, sometimes it actually worked, but Ygritte never lasted more than a week at work, whether it was because of her attitude, filthy mouth, or just some random fuck ups here and there.

Moral of the story, her soulmate witnessed the most embarrassing moment in Ygritte's life, where she reached utter despair and gave up on herself. She left running and he never even attempted to follow her when drunk evil Ygritte fled, not that he would be able to really, because she was pretty fucking fast for her own good.

Ygritte never regretted her first words, they were pretty dope and not clichéd, thankfully.

But his words still have a very heavy place in her heart whenever she remembered them.

 _'_ _I do know some things, I know that you're my soulmate'_

He was so smooth and calm, talked more with his eyes than his tongue, not that she would mind being stared at with those ashy gates of heaven. His voice was rasp and low, like he never used it too much, which made it all the sexier.

The tattoo was there on her shin for almost five years, where she admittedly showed it off for whoever asked if she was marked as a soulmate, but never in her life did Ygritte think the situation would be that unromantic and embarrassing, from _her_ side though, the dude could've never physically looked cooler than when he told her the simple sentence she always fantasized about.

How many times did she need to touch herself to keep those fucking hormones at bay?

"He looked very..." Ygritte cocked her head to the side. "Familiar."

"Mhmm." Gilly was listening so carefully she forgot the coffee was salted, and actually drank, spitting it out later, of course.

"He really looked like your old crush." Ygritte's eyes narrowed. "What was his name?"

"Which one?" Gilly smirked.

"Remember three years ago, when our football team went against Winterfell?"

Her eyes sparkled instantly. "How can I forget?!"

"Yes, and you kept fangirling over-"

"The Stario hotness that was too painful for the eye!"

She chuckled, _Stario_ was short for the Stark Trio, the three brothers that caused ruckus all over the stadium, Ygritte had long forgotten their names but damn it to hell, they were hot as _fuck_.

The eldest three sons of the Stark house grew up just fine, and all the cheerleaders back in her college days were lost on whether to cheer for their own team, or the one they were going against. It was absolutely hilarious to watch from the bleachers.

They lost that game, but Ygritte cheered to hell and back anyway.

"Gods bless Eddard and Catelyn Stark for their wonderful genes." Gilly prayed dramatically. "My lady parts will forever be thankful."

Ygritte was losing it, being unable to stop laughing. "No seriously, he looked like the kicker, y'know, the drop dead gorgeous one with dark hair and grey eyes."

"Oh gods!" Gilly nearly shouted. "You lucky _bitch_! I would die happily if I ended up with someone _half_ as hot as that guy."

 _No offence, Sam, she means well_. Ygritte took it upon herself to apologize to her friend's soulmate.

"Well, that's the closest I can come with describing him." Ygritte shrugged. "I think he's one of his fans or something because he even had his hairstyle." That's creepy as hell, now that she thinks of it

"What if it _was_ him?" Gilly wiggled her eyebrows.

The two girls stared at each other for the longest time before bursting out in a loud fit of laughter.

"Yeah right." Ygritte exclaimed. "My soulmate, a _Stark_."

"I mean what's up with that family?" Her bestfriend laughed some more. "They look like they've all descended from Olympus or something."

"I know right." Ygritte added. "They're so good looking it's not even funny, it's like our rotten gods saved the beauty for them and made all the rest of us ugly."

"For fuck sake!"

"Goddamnit!"

"Why, just, why?!"

"For real though," Ygritte sighed after their exclamation session. "I don't want money or fame. I just want someone dirty minded like me, but with a pure heart, one who I can have lots of hot sex with. Is that too much to ask?"

"Ygritte, you'll have a perfect soulmate." Gilly said. "Trust me, I feel it. The guy you met at the bar, is everything you ever asked for."

Ygritte almost blushed. "Let's not get sentimental, Gil."

"Aye." Her bestfriend rolled her eyes. "Let's just pretend we're two super tough, heartless girls."

Needless to say, two shrimp flavored pancakes hit Gilly square in the face after that.

* * *

Ygritte spent the rest of her day, after Gilly had left, looking up job applications, with the little qualities she had. She never needed the money, but being the least talented human being who ever walked the surface of earth was enough reason to at least give it a try and discover herself, or something _within_ her.

She couldn't cook.

She couldn't clean.

She was rude, to everyone.

Even her humanity was never her strongest area.

And archery never seemed to be a productive career path no matter how she looked at it.

It wasn't the _Hunger Games_ for gods' sake.

 _'_ _I don't think you are disaster, you are an aftermath.'_ Karsi had told her the last time they met. _'It will take time for you to heal from all my spoiling, but I know you'll grow into a capable woman.'_

Yes, Ygritte Bale, was the definition of a spoiled child. Being home schooled, got everything she ever wanted, only waited til she turned twelve until she got full control over her life choices, and never understood the whole idea of socializing.

You got it right, Ygritte was an antisocial, not in a shy, cute way, but a savage, rude one.

And Gilly was her only friend, like, ever.

Yrgitte was certain she was hated by everyone she ever encountered. School, college, social events, hangout places, you name it.

Can Jon Snow tolerate her?

Her eyebrows furrowed, remembering the guy that resembled him. It was weird, even their names were alike in some sort of way.

Can her soulmate, indeed be...

 _Nah._ She shook her head. _The Kicker was much taller than Jon Snow._

But out of curiosity and, actually pride, considering her soulmate, _her_ soulmate looked like a celebrity, Ygritte took out her phone and googled the man's last name.

She didn't even have time to look at the first picture result before bell rang savagely, pulling her out of her daydream.

Groaning, Ygritte went for the door, fumbling with the handle like a blind woman as she admired the man on her phone shamelessly.

"It's a bell for fuck sake not a goddamn telegraph!" She snapped. _Oh holy fuck!_ Her eyes didn't leave her phone as she found a _very_ hot picture, save worthy.

"Ygritte?" It was a quiet, breathless voice that called her.

Ygritte's eyes narrowed, there was an unfamiliar tone who was addressing her, right outside of her apartment.

If it was one of Styr's men again, stopping by her door to beg for money then she will rightfully shove her combat boot right up their asses with no regret.

She clinched her teeth, ready to give him a piece of her mind until her lungs stopped working completely at the sight before her.

The wildling suddenly found herself face to face with the most handsome living thing that she had ever laid her brown eyes on.

Ygritte took quick glances between her phone and the man – currently wearing a V-neck sweater, revealing his perfect collarbone to the world and his hair messy from running – and gasped, gasped very, very audibly, dropping her phone far away from the shock, undoubtedly breaking it in the process.

Who was in front of her was _The Kicker_.

 _Jon Snow._

 _Her soulmate._

 _Jon motherfucking Stark_.

 _"_ _Ygritte." Oh sweet fucking shit, how her name rolled out of his perfect mouth_.

Poor Ygritte stared at him for way too long, her eyes wide and no words provided for the situation. _They were the same person_ , Ygritte's heart was going crazy. _I_ knew _two people can't be that much alike!_

Jon seemed to be catching his breath from whatever exotic activity he was doing.

"I found you..."

So Ygritte Bale did what any sane girl would do at the given situation, without even thinking too much about it.

She kissed him out of his wits, and her own.


	18. Chapter 18

**[A/N]**

Don't read this author's note if you don't want spoilers.

Watching the season 6 premiere was frustrating asf, okay? Ser Davos, Melisandre, Thorne and the others kept rubbing the fact that Jon was dead all over our faces, and I reached the point of invalid arguing along the lines of: 'But _guys_ , did you like, try turning him off and on again?'

#FandomProblems

* * *

 **Perfectly Different Chapter Two: Lessons**

Ygritte was thoroughly _fucked_.

Not metaphorically speaking, no, she actually was fucked raw that afternoon by her soulmate, and she welcomed it with opened arms – and _legs_.

She did not want to admit, but Ygritte had to remain true to herself, her sexual partners weren't few, perhaps six they were or more, ones she did not remember that is. _Fuck whoever you want, whenever you want,_ Karsi had taught her once. _As long as it's legal and does not bring unwanted problems with it, that ain't fun, trust me kid._

So the moment Ygritte gathered enough wits to realize that the makeout session was escalating very quickly into something more (Specifically when she found herself plastered against him and the closed door, both half naked by then and kissing each other bare), she did not try to stop it, nor did she really want to.

He had carried her - emphasize on _carried her_ – all the way to the couch, where the remaining pieces of clothing were hastily discarded into the floor, leaving them naked as their nameday and allowing her to admire every inch of that Greek god-like body.

She may or may not have drooled.

Jaime Lannister and Loras Tyrell didn't have anything on him as far as the sexiest men alive went, Ygritte wanted to quit their fan clubs and send hate mail because she was vastly mislead since her puberty.

He wasn't much of a talker during sex, she discovered, which Ygritte didn't really mind, talkers were a huge turn off.

He did seem hesitant at first when things went dangerously serious, but Ygritte was not going to let him go until all of her urges were fed. She was sexually frustrated for the past few months and someone had to pay for it.

By the time they made it into her bedroom, Snow had gone all out, every ounce of reluctance left him and was replaced with a beautiful monster that shared her every idea on how to achieve pleasure and ultimate ecstasy.

This was time for the sad truth to be revealed; Ygritte had her first orgasm that day – first four orgasms if she was practical – and indeed her urges were fed, to the point of temporary insanity.

There was a lot of kissing, something that she had rarely done with her other partners because it was too intimate for her, and Ygritte discovered that it was her new favorite exercise, to share every emotion and amount of lust through lip contact to the degree of enjoyable suffocation.

Now Ygritte lied on her back amidst disheveled sheets and ruined pillows, panting with inconsistent large breaths and trying to comprehend the greatness that had befallen on her on the last – Hour? Two hours? – like she was trying to solve a paradox, it couldn't have been that good, could it? She wondered if all that was an illusion, but her sore muscles and the stinging spots on her skin confirmed the reality of it, so much it was starting to scare her.

Her ceiling fan proved to be very mesmerizing as she followed its wings in circles with her eyes, calculating her next step but finding no answer.

What now?

Ygritte closed her eyes and recalled things that Karsi had told her regarding what to do after a sensational fuck, if you have guessed it or not yet, that was what she did when she needed wisdom, but nothing usable was salvaged other than:

1) _'You pick up your things with the speed of light and leave, no clues left to be traced back to you.'_

2) _'If you liked it, you leave a club address and time to meet, never give him your number.'_

3) _'Talk? Pffft, it's not necessary. And besides, what would you say? Hey, that was nice, let's do it again sometime, bye.'_

Don't be judgmental, Karsi may not be the perfect role model, but she was _her_ role model.

But all those lessons were told when she chose someone to sleep with, her aunt was fine with all that but she was against dating; relationships were only acceptable with one's true soulmate; that was a solid wildling rule.

This was her soulmate she was lying with, however, so what was she supposed to say? He wasn't a one night stand for the old gods' sake, he was her chosen lover, one that she could fuck repeatedly til the end of days, someone to love and share her life with, and then build a family with him when they were bored and stupid enough to decide that.

Her bed creaked, notifying Ygritte that Snow decided to make a move, that her time was up, and her heart quickened. _Don't fuck it up. Don't fuck it up. Don't fuck it up_. She repeatedly told herself.

Gilly once mentioned that soulmates could feel each other's emotions through wavelengths, but it was too soon for them, because when Ygritte met his grey eyes, she sensed nothing, only worry and nervousness from her part.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head turned to her direction with an expression that never seemed to change much.

They stared at each other and said nothing.

 _Don't make me talk first_. She prayed.

Snow glanced around the room, breaking the uncomfortable eye contact, and Ygritte found herself questioning her choice of decor, since it never had the pleasure of receiving such a highborn and wealthy individual such as himself.

Then everything struck her like a lightning bolt.

 _He was a fucking Stark_.

 _He was the fucking Prime Minister's son._

 _He was a fucking football legend back at her college years_.

 _He won a fucking bike racing championship a few years ago_.

 _He was a fucking war hero from the Night's Base._

 _He was once featured in the fucking cover of Esquire_.

 _He was probably a fucking millionaire_.

 _Oh shit. Ohshit. OhshitOhshitOhshit_.

Ygritte was dry heaving by then.

What did she get herself into? What did the _gods_ get her into?

"I'm hungry."

Ygritte paused her mental debate, shooting Snow a look that can only be described as a _'What the fuck'_ face. "Huh?"

"I kinda drove through two states all night, and I didn't have time to eat." He explained, fascinating her by speaking more than three words since he came in. "Is there any food or should we-"

"The kitchen." She said quickly without thinking. Why was he driving all those miles without rest? Was he on a business trip? A military mission? Some tour celebrities did? Ygritte could only guess.

Then she realized in horror that he probably ate the food of royals every time he sat down for a meal.

Jon seemed very puzzled by her answer.

"In the fridge." She elaborated dumbly.

Her refrigerator was filled with food Karsi had made on her last visit, in fear that the two girls living there would starve themselves to death, and Ygritte was very thankful for that, no royal food can compete with her aunt's cooking as far as she was concerned.

That was one problem off of her list.

And the remaining differences between them left her terrified out of her senses to humanly function.

"Oh, right." Jon said with an awkward chuckle. "That was a stupid question."

Ygritte clutched her head, thinking of a million different things and putting him on mute.

With a few moments of horrifying silence and torturous thoughts, Snow pointed at the door. "I should-"

"Yeah." Her grip around her head tightened.

"Okay."

The door was shut with a slam, leaving Ygritte slowly going crazy.

She forced herself to stand up on shaky feet, facing the mirror and examining her reflection with a sudden hate. The annoying tangled red hair kissed by fire, the crooked teeth, each pointing at a different direction, the small brown eyes that were too far apart, the freckles dotted on her face that never seemed to end... each feature turned absolutely ugly in her eyes when she counted, in her head, the number of women he must have lied with before her.

The models, the beauties, the fellow celebrities, and the plastic barbies that were always seen surrounding him whenever he was mentioned in social media. His sister was a pageant queen for crying out loud, and he was in her circle, a circle filled with specimen of that kind.

Why her? Why did the gods choose her for such a person, a man so fucking different from her it wasn't even funny?

Her eyes settled on the numerous hickeys on her neck and collarbone, and Ygritte's glare softened.

The women he associated with shouldn't matter to her anymore, whatever the reason, they were destined to be together by the gods, and she had to embrace it and see the results.

With newfound determination, Ygritte composed herself, hurried to the bathroom to take a quick bath, came back to change her outfit into something presentable and applied her usual makeup, which wasn't so usual.

If Gilly had caught her putting on eye shadow and colored lipstick she would strike her with a knowing look and mutter a remark along the lines of _'Someone's trying to impress a guy'_.

 _I am, and not just any guy Gill, not just any guy._

Finishing up with winged eyeliner on her lids that could murder, Ygritte finally found the courage to step out of the solace of her room, feeling like she was getting dressed for a battle.

 _You can't go into a war without a proper uniform_.

That was another one of Karsi's many lessons.

Ygritte, for some reason, expected to find him seated on a leather coach, a leg over another in an intimidating position like she saw powerful men do in movies but her guesses weren't even close to being correct.

He was now fully clothed, sitting on top of the counter despite the many chairs available in the kitchen as he shoved the fork inside his mouth, munching it like it was the tastiest thing ever made while writing something on a piece of paper.

Ygritte wasn't sure which one of Karsi's dishes he chose, since the contents of the plate were vanished, but she felt very proud nonetheless.

He finished writing and put the pen down, lifting his head to see her standing there with gods know what weird expression she had on.

"Hey." He started.

Ygritte was so overwhelmed still that she did not know how to respond, even a casual _'Hi'_ seemed wrong to say at the current situation.

Her silence seemed to annoy him, since he came down on his feet and stood in front of her, his height impressing her for a second time that day.

"Are you okay?" he then asked, out of nowhere. "I mean... your body? Is it-"

She managed a quick nod, finding his concern very strange; no one had asked her that before.

 _Find your fucking voice, Bale_. Her consciousness warned in irritation.

Ygritte ignored it, her failed job interviews, and her general fail in life was enough reason for her to doubt the impact of her constant wrong choice of words.

And finding the _right_ choice or words seemed impossible.

About five minutes of awkward silence passed until Jon Snow had enough with expressive eye contact.

He rubbed his face miserably. "I shouldn't have done this."

Here it is.

 _Of course_ he would regret it, it was better for it to happen sooner than later, though Ygritte honestly didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"Then leave." She said bitterly, walking around him to the counter.

"What?" he sounded shocked to say the least; no woman must've asked him this in his entire life, and rich handsome boy did not know what to do.

But Ygritte wasn't just any woman.

She was _trying_ , trying to not say the wrong things and bride him with delicious food that she never let anyone else lay a hand on, trying to dress up and look good without him even acknowledging it, trying to digest the idea that he was the one and only Jon Stark, a character with a background polar opposite to her own.

And he was telling her that he shouldn't have done this with her.

"I said-" her voice rose and her hand grabbed the nearest object on the table. " _Leave_."

Now we come to the beginning when Ygritte had stated that her humanity and social communications wasn't her strongest suit.

Her temper and pathetic fuck ups seemed to happen even if she didn't try.

If you told someone who knew Ygritte well that she shot a fork like a ninja straight at her soulmate's head, in an attempt to assassinate him during their first conversation, they'd believe you without a doubt.

Because that's what she was, a walking disaster and failed tries of expressing herself.

Jon bent over so fast Ygritte almost didn't see it, when he stood straight again, he shot her a look as flabbergasted as her own.

He was shocked by her perfect aim, and she of his perfect reflex.

Ygritte breathed in heavily, not even going with a plan B, more like plan Z in term of a good solution.

"Hey, that was nice," Ygritte said automatically. "We should do this again sometime."

Jon studied her like she had grown an additional head.

She clinched her teeth, walking toward her apartment door and unlocking it quickly.

The wildling held the door open for him to escape her stupidity and never come back. "Bye."

"Are- Are you serious?" Jon managed to say.

Ygritte looked away, even more frustrated of herself than he was.

His confusion turned into anger when she stood her ground, he grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and walked past her and out of the apartment without saying another word.

Ygritte was now starting to feel something from him through the wavelength that was mentioned before, and that something was _disappointment_.

He wasn't alone on that, so it just doubled inside her in the worst way possible.

She slammed the door as hard as she can, not bothering to take one more glance at him again.

Do you believe her now when she said that she was antisocial? In a savage, rude way?

* * *

After half an hour of sitting against the door and regretting every little thing she had done that day, Ygritte came to the conclusion that they were both responsible adults and that they will work this through the second time a business trip/mission/tour brought him to Riverlands.

She wondered, in crushing sadness, how long that'll take.

Ygritte picked herself up and decided to laze around her apartment, watch Netflix all night and feel sorry for herself for being a fucktarded idiot who couldn't do anything right, and the first step for those productive plans to start was a huge ice cream bucket Gilly was saving for such an occasion.

During her walk to the kitchen as she picked up her desert and went on a search for a spoon, the finished plate Jon had left caught Ygritte's eye.

Beside the piece of paper that he did not take with him, Ygritte found a sticky note on the dish, and, in absolute horror, she realized that it was the plate she used that morning to place her shrimp pancakes on.

 _No. No. No. No._

She didn't need to question why he picked that plate out of all the other more tasty looking ones because the note, with Gilly's distinctive handwriting, had claimed it to be what was written on it.

 _'Ygritte's creation'_

That was not new coming from her flatmate, it was a running gag to write that on everything Ygritte had cooked so when Sam spent time in the apartment, he won't have the misfortune of coming near it.

 _Ygritte's creation_ , between the three of them, was often translated to _'Dangerous Hazard, do not come in contact'_

With fidgeting fingers, she grabbed the piece of paper and read what her soulmate wrote after such a traumatizing experience he must've gone through.

 _'Best thing I've ever eaten.'_

The redhead's eyebrows shot up in disbelieve, he was just trying to be nice, she was certain of it.

 _'Who knows, maybe he'll struggle all the way to the end if he loved you that much.'_ Gilly giggled in her head.

He _did_ seem to enjoy eating the five or so pancakes so quickly, she recalled.

"As I thought," Her lips curled upward in a very amused smile. "You know nothing, Jon Snow."


	19. Chapter 19

_Tormund:_ Big ginger badass guy, the wildling leader after Mance Rayder and Jon Snow's friend.

 _Styr_ : One of Mance Rayder's lieutenants, the weird looking bald guy with vein in his head who enjoyed eating human legs.

 _Orell_ : That one wilding who could warg into his pet eagle.

* * *

More spoilers in this **A/N** :

I was sitting in a dark empty classroom with my two bestfriends, watching the latest episode and praying with them by the old gods and new for Jon to wake up, then the bastard actually _does_ and we go on a fucking rampage, there was legit screaming and rolling on the floor it was absolutely hilarious.

If Jon Snow gasps, we fucking gasp with him.

And Melisandre cutting his hair, I mean, what's up with that shit? Like, "No, not the hair, anything but the fucking hair. Stahp! Put the fucking scissors down, woman!"

* * *

 **Perfectly Different Chapter Three: Online Buddy**

It went even worse than Ygritte had predicted.

She tried to sound as reasonable as she can, retell what happened with the simplest words and many shrugs she can muster, excluding parts that seemed unreal, which was hard because off from the first sentence, Gilly was already calling bullshit.

Literally, "Bullshit!"

 _Five minutes later._

"Then he picked me up-"

"Get the fuck out!"

 _Another five minutes later._

"He did this weird thing with his tongue-"

"Oh my fucking gods!"

 _Three beers later._

"So, I shower and put on some makeup-"

"Stop! Stop lying damn it!"

 _Lots of fighting later._

"Then I just lost my shit and shot a fork at him."

"Okay, I believe that part."

 _Some lunatic-like laughter later._

"And – I shit you not – it turns out that he ate the pancakes I made, and claimed to have liked them."

"Gritte, I'm fucking killing you, where's your gun-" Gilly actually got up and started looking, only to realize that Karsi found it, took it away, and scolded Tormund for even lending it to her.

Ygritte patiently finished her story of the events of that afternoon, swore on every god who existed on her testimony, offered evidence and allowed Gilly to hibernate and digest everything for about half an hour.

Then she put her head in her hands, falling completely silent.

Ygritte knitted her eyebrows together. "Gilly?"

"I don't know what to do." She sniffed in some of her snot. "I'm just... _so_ happy for you, Gritte, so goddamn happy."

They hugged it all out, which was technically one sided by Gilly's strong arms since Ygritte wasn't much of a hugger.

"Come on, Gill." By that time they had already settled on the couch in absolute quietness. "Do that thing."

"What thing?"

"You know, the thing were you start talking about your own problems and make me forget about mine."

"How can I do that, when even _I_ can't forget about your _'problems'_?"

Ygritte rolled her eyes and waited, knowing too well that her flatmate would do it anyway.

Gilly sighed. "I think Sam is up to something, and I don't think I can trust him anymore."

Ygritte snorted. "Must be illusions, babe." _Because a cheating Sam is like a flying talking pig; nonexistent._

"No, I'm serious." Gilly said. "He found this online buddy a few months ago, and they talk all the fucking time and it makes him so freaking happy it's disgusting."

"I thought that the online buddy was a dude?"

"He is!" she exclaimed. "I don't mean it that way, idiot. I mean that he's doing some shady business behind my back. You know, he has those _'I know something you don't'_ vibes sometimes, and I don't like it."

"When did he befriend him exactly?"

"Remember the Brotherhood concert we went to - which you completely ditched, you slut - on June?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it started right after that."

Ygritte rubbed her temples, suddenly starting to regret choosing that race over the trip with Gilly and Sam to King's Landing, calculating all the incidents one by one, she realized that if she had went, she would've probably met Snow and his circle since it was his sister's birthday back then.

Ygritte couldn't believe the many videos that Gilly took, she had no idea that there was another female Stark in the family beside the famous Sansa, and seeing the raw beauty singing with the band on stage made her curse the gods again for creating herself as such a plain individual.

She forgot her name, but Ygritte recalled thinking that she would've turned lesbian for that grey eyed wild lady anytime.

Now Ygritte understood why, it was because unlike Sansa, that girl looked like a replica of her older brother.

* * *

Ygritte had asked Gilly to tag along, but she refused since tomorrow was her weekly visit to little Sam's adoptive family.

She heard that story many times, but she still couldn't comprehend the destructive feelings her bestfriend swallowed when she gave her child up for adoption, a child that was the product of rape by the girl's own father.

The father, mind you, was mysteriously thrown off of a bridge two weeks after she had told Tormund the tale, and the man's death remained a _'mystery'_ to this very day.

She smiled at the memory, her uncle was another force to be reckoned with.

So Ygritte found herself alone on the racing track, shooting daggers at Styr as he worked on his motorcycle for the upcoming race.

Styr was like a leech, a very stubborn irritating little thing that stuck on her skin since college and refused to leave her alone since then.

It was hard to refuse his offer of _showing her the true world_ when Ygritte first met him, the nineteen year old back then dived in head first into that dimension, the endless turmoil of drugs, parties, racing, and all sorts of messed up illegal activities that put her behind bars more than once.

 _'This is the fucking last time, kid, I swear it.'_ Her aunt had told that one time when she got her out of jail. _'Your last name is Bale, but I doubt you'll be able to bail yourself out next time when I disown you for good.'_

That was her wakeup call. Ygritte managed to drag herself out of there, surround herself with people who meant good for her, stayed away from people who didn't, but Styr just refused to let go.

It wasn't because he had anything on her though, Ygritte was too careful to get herself into that shit, but the bastard owed her tons of money she won't just let him have.

Fifty bucks turned into hundreds and then thousands over the years, and that's when she realized that along with the many things that man was possessed with, he was out of his mind and consumed with an addiction of gambling and lived off of racing bids as a bonus to add to his lovely traits.

 _This is the last time I'm lending him cash_ , she would tell herself each time, _I'm doing this to get Karsi's money back_.

But all of it was in vain, the drugs and alcohol stopped helping and started destroying his brain instead, and taking away his skills along the way. Styr had lost all his races in the past year and just kept getting shittier and shittier each time, bidding on larger amounts of money to get his previous large amounts of his money – _her_ money – back.

Ygritte wasn't even expecting anything at this point; she wasn't giving him shit anymore and just bothered herself to go and see if he would win something for a change and retrieve some of the thousands she had lost in her stupid phase of youth.

Ygritte was leaning against the wall with her hands crossed, her aura dark and menacing as she watched the six foot tall of ugliness and disgusting head veins in front of her.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." She spat, darting him with a glare full of hate. "Your hands can't even stay still."

"For _once_ , keep your fucking mouth shut." Styr replied, still unable to hold his equipment right. "I know what I'm doing."

She scuffed.

"You know," he pointed a screw at her direction. "If you weren't attractive I would've slapped that fire out of you."

"You know," Ygritte answered with the same tone. "If I hadn't forgotten my bow I would've shot an arrow straight in your fucking eye."

The man went back to his work, his jaw ticking and showing even more nasty veins on his skin, knowing too well that Ygritte wasn't joking.

"Great team spirits, fuckers." Styr's companion and provider, Orell, snapped at them.

"Shut the fuck up." She hissed at him. "I'm in no one's team."

Styr looked around, "You've got the goods?"

"Aye," Orell unclasped the small bag around his waist and threw it at his direction. "You owe me lots."

"Yeah, yeah." Styr probably heard this so many times it did not even to go through his ears anymore. He got up and unloaded the contents of the bag on a rusty chair, smirking to himself.

Ygritte's teeth clinched when she recognized what was inside of the small plastic wrapper, she knew he was a ticking time bomb, but she didn't realize that he was able to afford cocaine anymore, he probably still couldn't.

She wanted to spit at his face, leave, and never come back.

"You're gonna get yourself killed, Styr." Ygritte said from her place. "And I'll just sit down and enjoy the show."

"Relax, babe." He laughed, it was an ugly sound, just like him. "With this thing here, I'd be focused and racing like a fucking light bolt, so indeed you'll enjoy seeing me owning the track tonight."

"It's a big one, Ygritte." Orell elaborated, "We gave five thousands away for this shit."

Her eyes widened. _Five fucking thousand dollars for a doomed race,_ my _five thousands._

"Aye, and ten thousands go straight to my pocket, baby." Sryr's shaky hands divided the powder in symmetrical lines. "Ygritte, babe, you've got a hundred dollar bill for me to use?"

"Go fuck yourself." Ygritte watched in disgust as Orell passed him a twenty instead. He rolled it around and sniffed in about two lines like an animal, his pupils dilating on cue. "You're messed up in the head."

"And you love it." He laughed monstrously. "Just be a useful thing for once and give me a good kiss when I win this."

Ygritte left the back of the wall and faced him straight in the eye. "I'll kiss _whoever_ beats your fucked up ass til the point of numbness, and you watch."

He smiled wickedly, some missing teeth proving their absence in his mouth. "It's a promise then."

She was done, with Styr, with Orell, with the pointless races and holding back all those angry feelings, Ygritte did not see the purpose of it anymore, she was just coming to see him get more fucked up than the last time, her money was probably gone for good.

Ygritte turned around, about to leave Styr's corner when she saw the most unexpected face before her. "What the fuck are _you_ doing here?"

He looked around nervously, "I was just here with a friend."

"No offence, Sam." Ygritte rolled her eyes. "But we both know you don't have friends."

"He, ehh, left a second ago." Sam wiped away the rolling sweat on his forehead. "I – ahm, are you okay?"

Ygritte looked back at the two villains putting out the motorcycle behind her, "Up this close I'm pretty sure you heard us, so _of course_ I'm not goddamn okay."

"Right." He breathed heavily like he had ran a marathon, Ygritte still couldn't understand how he managed to act like that even after losing sixty pounds since college, it was like he'd always be overweight in the inside no matter how much fat he had shed.

They stopped calling him Ser piggy, so that was something.

"Come on, pal." She rolled her arm around his and started walking away, "Let's go find a good spot to watch another one of Styr's fuck ups, or, would you like to show me your imaginary friend first?"

Sam sighed and decided to remain silent; Ygritte took that as a no.

They stood up right in the front of the finish line since pretty much everyone knew Ygritte and allowed her to go wherever she wanted, that sort of treatment started to piss her off; she did not want to belong there like that anymore.

"Ygritte?"

"Hm?"

"Did you mean what you said?" Sam suddenly asked, "That thing about kissing the winner?"

"No." She said immediately, the mere thought sickened her. "I just said that to piss him off."

He nodded, relaxing entirely.

"Why you ask?"

"I just – I, I mean, what if he carried some STDs or something, I got worried, I mean the last survey about aids was terrifying, you – you should really see the statistics, I mean-"

Ygritte laughed, pinching his cheek and realizing how much she loved this guy. "You're so adorable, Sam."

He chuckled, pulling his eyes away from her and toward the entrance, his entire face changing. " _Oh_ shit."

"What?" she looked the way his gaze was directed, spotting the red yellow sign the 'referee' was holding above his head. "Oh, don't worry." Ygritte said calmly, knowing how easily her friend got scared of the simplest things. He attended those races very rarely and no doubt knew nothing about that sort of thing. "They're switching drivers, Styr's opponent, I mean."

It didn't matter if he was going against a giraffe at this point, he was still going to lose, high of coke or not.

The race took off and Ygritte didn't even bother to check the competition more than a few times, even with Sam sweating buckets next to her. _This is not healthy for him_ , Ygritte realized tiredly, appreciating that he came to check on her, but feeling sorry for him at the same time, watching cartoons with little Sam was what he was good at, not adrenaline pumping bike races.

"Y-Ygritte?" Sam squeaked, "You might wanna see this."

Ygritte focused on the track, her stomach dropping after following the two flashing figures with a progress that was hard to be detected by untrained eyes.

Styr was racing like the good old days, the days where no one was even close to surpassing him, the days where she was proud to have him by her side, the coke was actually enhancing his coordination more than she had ever imagined.

And he was _still_ losing, big time.

Her jaw dropped upon seeing her leech, in all his glory, about three whole seconds behind his opponent, if she thought the old Styr was undefeatable, then the man he was facing him was practically a pro who didn't even seem to be trying, the corners were passed swiftly, the drifts were done with utmost steadiness, the speed never seemed to falter and the head of his black bike never lost its balance.

Ygritte was enchanted, the five thousand dollars no longer important to her.

Everything was a blur of images that were both in slow motion and fast as a shooting star.

The shouts erupting around the track was deafening.

The horn was blown loudly, announcing Styr's opponent as victorious.

The finish line was covered in dust through all directions.

Sam was jumping up and down, cheering loudly with teary eyes like a goddamn schoolgirl.

When the dust blew away, a completely black figure came to her view, from his motorcycle to his outfit and all the way to his helmet. He placed one foot on the ground; stopping the bike completely and standing up with so much coolness it was incomprehensible.

Ygritte knew one person who was a racing champion currently present at Riverlands, one person who was there at the Brotherhood concert to befriend Sam, one person who could make her heart beat so wildly against her ribcage.

He took off his helmet, majestic curly hair exposing itself to the world as Jon Snow walked straight toward her to claim his kiss.

And the whole world around Ygritte exploded in fireworks.


	20. Chapter 20

**Perfectly Different Chapter Four: First Times**

Her legs being caressed by the soft grass, the moon that was awoken with all its glory in the night to be admired, the fresh breeze massaging her lungs, the nuzzling on her neck, the hot slow breaths creating condensation on her skin and the warm chest plastered on her back made Ygritte feel like the luckiest woman alive.

Snow stroke her arms up and down with gentle and shadowy movements, sending her senses on a rampage; every touch he had on her delivered little dozes of excitement into her veins in a way she couldn't describe. It was similar to an injection of drugs, the type that did not make her guilty but only caused her to want more.

He breathed into her hair, savoring its scent. "Are you cold?"

Ygritte shuffled herself against him to get more comfortable and shook her head. "No."

He chuckled, making the skin on her neck tickle. "Something tells me that it's hard to make you talk."

"No." Ygritte furrowed her brows. "What would make you think that?"

"You spoke like two whole sentences to me so far."

"You're lucky, then."

"And why is that?"

"Because if I wasn't careful," she bit her lip, "Lots of fucked up shit will come out of this mouth."

He laughed at that.

"Yeah, I know," she huffed. "I curse a lot."

A finger lifted her chin upwards to meet his mouth in a kiss, which was approximately given every three minutes ever since they were alone, and Ygritte would never mind.

He smiled, "So what?"

She turned her head quickly, "You're probably not used to it."

"That's really cute," Snow humored her. "Wait til you meet my siblings."

"What about them?"

"They curse like bloody sailors during a storm," he sighed, "And I doubt you'd be any worse than them."

Ygritte smirked wickedly. "Challenge accepted, Jon Snow."

He secured her tighter against him, sighing with comfort at her presence. "Ygritte?"

"Can you say that again?"

She could feel his amusement. "Why?"

"Because I love how you say my name."

She felt his mouth brushing her ear, the sensation heavy in heart, and one word came out in the deepest, sexiest, and most passionate voice she ever heard. "Ygritte?"

"Yeah?"

His mouth pulled away. "What happened in there?"

"Well," she narrowed her eyes at the recollections. "You won the best race I've ever seen, made out with me in front of two hundred people, then dragged me out here to an empty hill to snuggle."

"No." He chuckled again, "I meant yesterday."

Ygritte breathed heavily, not knowing what exactly happened herself that afternoon. "Well, we had sex about six times-"

"I'm pretty sure it was four."

"But you didn't count the time when you used your tongue-"

"Ygritte."

"Alright, alright," she put a hand in the air, "I don't know. I guess I got overwhelmed by you."

"I knew it." He ran his hand down her elbow. "I hurt you, didn't I?"

"No, no," Ygritte scowled at his silliness. " _No_."

"Then what?"

"I just," Ygritte rubbed her face, "I always imagined my soulmate to be a normal everyday person, not a man who's so famous he practically has fanclubs."

"In a matter of fact," he said calmly, "I actually don't. It's probably Robb who has them."

"Still!" she exclaimed. "You're a Stark!"

"So what?!"

"You were so good at it that I didn't know what to do with myself, I usually take things in mediocre not insanely competent, and _besides_ -" She paused, turning around so she was chest to chest in front of him. "Your place is between nobilities, people of importance, you've been grown into an environment polar opposite from mine. How could I have digested all that when I was just finding out about you?"

His face was glowing with content, "I was good?"

 _He did not hear the rest, did he?_ "Yeah, Snow, the best I've ever had."

His hand grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her into a kiss so deep that her thoughts flew away.

"Sorry, I just had to." He stared at her with grin, "Do continue."

"I'm so different from you, damn it!" she put some distance between them, "Be honest with me, did you ever imagine your soulmate be a wildling?"

"I never thought of it, no." His grey eyes held her as captive, his voice low and sure. "Because it wouldn't have made any difference."

Her composure settled, embarrassment and stinging heartbeat consuming her. "Really?"

"I've..." he put a hand around her arm, circling his thumb around her exposed skin. "I've been looking for you for _months_ , Ygritte, it was almost starting to drive me insane. You decided to come into my life, a woman too beautiful to be real, then you just disappeared, leaving me with nothing but mental torture and a feel of longing towards you."

 _Me too_ , she thought. "You – you're exaggerating."

"No! I'm saying it like it is." The seriousness in his voice was evident. "Sam happened to come to the Night's Base as an architect engineer for some counselling, and I recognized him from the concert. We got talking and what do you know, he was one of your _best friends_. It was like a stroke of faith crashing down at me when I was giving up, next thing was burrowing my brother's truck and driving all the way here without a plan." He brushed her cheek with delicate fingers. "I just _had_ to see you."

Ygritte wanted to grab the hairs on her head and pull them out to stop herself from all lust that was filling her up with every word he said, to a point it was painful not to rip his clothes off and postpone all conversations to a time her hormones were stable enough to have them.

 _He drove through two states for me_. She thought, wonderstruck, her gut hurting from all flutter.

He continued talking nevertheless. "I know you've been with other people before me, and... and I don't know, thinking and comparing myself to them was making me _mad,_ but I couldn't stop myself from the destructive thoughts I had when you were talking to that guy at the track, how he was looking at you with so much hunger and filth. Sam was there to hold me back but I had to do _something_. I couldn't let anyone else kiss you.

"And while we're on it, I've never been through something like yesterday before, I thought that I pleasured you during it, but after recovering I was afraid that I had gone too far or that you didn't enjoy it as much as me, I mean, you should've seen your face, I felt horrible, that maybe I made it painful without knowing, but you were so hard to approach I had no clue what was going on."

"Why would you think that?!" She was not following him anymore. "Is that why you said that you shouldn't have done it?"

"Well, sort of," his eyes settled somewhere else, "And some other reasons as well."

Ygritte wrapped her arms around herself, fearing the answer but wanting to know at the same time. "Such as?"

 _It was about another woman_ , she could sense it.

"Look, Ygritte." He exhaled deeply. "Guys... we, we always imagine it in some particular sort of way, the place, the time, the arrangements, and how well we know the woman, how good we can make them feel-"

" _What_ now?" Ygritte did not understand a word he was saying.

"Come on, it was obvious, you know what I'm talking about," he looked at her with hope but she shook her head, "Can you not make me say it?"

She cocked one eyebrow.

He put his hands on the sides of her hips, smiling thinly at her. "It was my first time."

"Get the fuck out, Snow."

He looked amused. "You don't believe me."

"Nope, and never will." She shook her head; there was no way in any hell that this man, this... handsome, charming, and desirable man was a virgin before she met him. "I have a strong bullshit detector, and it's beeping."

He sighed and brought out his phone, showing her the screen as some sort of evidence. "I've brought my brother with me tonight."

 _Is he the hot blond, or the hot ginger?_ She wanted to ask, but kept her mouth shut.

Ygritte squinted to see the seven or so messages that weren't replied to from some guy called _Lady Killer._

 **Jon. Where the fuck did you run off to with that hottie?**

 **Jon, bro, you can't leave me alone in here to pop your manly cherry.**

 **Jon, this guy has been giving me some dirty looks and I don't like it.**

 **I take it back, he's an ally, you come back to me a virgin and I'll disown you.**

 **So Sam here tells me that you've already lost your V-card.**

 **She's too hot for you, you fucking bastard.**

 **I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just use protection, I don't want to prepare myself for two nephews at the same time.**

Ygritte was suddenly worried about the guy's mental health. "Brother?"

Snow shrugged, "He's adopted."

She nodded, her eyes widening upon the realization. "Holy _shit_ , Snow."

He smirked at her reaction.

"Oh my gods, _oh my gods_ ," she looked around. "There was _no one_ before me?"

He shook his head. "No."

"You've never dated anyone?"

"Nope."

"Got a blowjob?"

"Nah."

"Seen a woman fully naked?"

"Just you."

"Kissed someone?"

"That, I had." He nodded, wincing at the memory. "It didn't go so well, though."

Ygritte was fascinated. "She didn't like it?"

"Well, the fact that I escaped her apartment naked must've been a huge turn off."

"Did you French kiss her? Or at least grabbed a boob?"

"I'm getting a weird sense of déjà vu right now." He rubbed his chin. "I definitely had this conversation before."

"Why?!" Ygritte was not properly functioning anymore. "You could've had _anyone_ you wanted!"

"Call me an old fashioned guy," Snow said confidently, "But I was waiting for my soulmate. I was waiting these years for _you_."

Her lips were twitching with admiration. "So you've never-"

"You're my first, Ygritte." He stared at her intently, cupping her face with a hand and brushing the fire kissed hair with the other. "And my last."

He captured her lips before she could; his palm wrapping itself around her neck and his mouth isolating her from the rest of the world in the most beautiful way possible. Ygritte put her hand against his hard chest, kissing him back with so much intensity he was pushed on the grass again.

He chuckled, easily overpowering her so he could be the one on top, and she appreciated the gesture, finding it so stimulating and rough; Ygritte loved nothing more than being rough right now.

His tongue forced its entrance and rolled around her own, discovering every inch of her mouth and cutting off her oxygen supply, busy taking several moments to get her breath back after Jon pulled away, she felt him trailing kisses down her skin, then sucking on her sweet spot, right on the hickey that was barely healing, no doubt stopping it from disappearing any time soon.

" _Jon_." God, she wanted that man so bad it was unhealthy.

Ygritte wrapped a hand around his neck, kissing it with so much passion she didn't know she had in her as he started sitting straighter, pulling her up with him as she ran her fingers ran through his hair.

"We need to get away from here before I do something we would regret."

In a haze, she looked around, spotting no one around who could see them, but feeling like they weren't entirely alone either, then her eyes settled on the parking spot.

"How did you get here?" she asked, panting.

"My brother's car." He said. "I drove because he was wasted, nothing new there."

She nodded quickly, "Please tell me that he is the kind of celebrity who has his windows tinted."

His brows rose at the discovery, his eyes widening before kissing her again. "I love your ideas."

Ygritte grinned while he picked her up from the floor, securing his jacket that _she_ was wearing. The wildling held his hand in a death grip and followed him to the designated spot, every three steps accompanied by a kiss that kept fueling them with need.

Needless to say, it was her first time having sex in a car, and no doubt his too, which was the biggest turn on Ygritte ever faced so far.


	21. Chapter 21

**[A/N]**

I won't sugar coat it, writing this chapter was a _pain in my ass_. I rewrote it three times over the past two weeks, edited it like a madman, and I'm _still_ not satisfied.

P.S. I know absolutely _nothing_ about babies and how they operate, haven't been in contact with one in ages.

Bear with me, dear readers.

* * *

 **Perfectly Different Chapter Five: Jealousy**

Her phone chirped again and Ygritte's smirk widened, it must have been years since she had this much fun talking in a group chat, with people the wildling never thought she'd ever have contact with, nonetheless.

 **Lady Killer:** Since when did SHE join this sacred convo?

Ygritte licked her lip wickedly, glancing around to make sure Snow wasn't back yet to her apartment after he left to pick up his brother, the guy whom she was arguing with himself, and typed a reply, chuckling the whole time.

 **Kissed By Fire:** Since I sucked your brother's cock, that's when.

The replies were immediate, and Ygritte enjoyed reading them, each word was sarcastic, humorous, and most importantly light hearted, it wasn't everyday that she conversed with people who somehow deciphered her strange sense of humor, and the Starks had proved to be very competent when it came to that.

She must have spent half an hour talking about meaningless shit and laughing her ass off at how _normal_ those people were.

Ygritte didn't realize that she had fallen asleep until the bang on the door made her twitch awaken from the couch, she inspected the clock with a groan and found it almost hitting seven am, which marked two hours of sleep and four hours of no Snow.

She groaned her way to the door, only for it to be opened before she crossed halfway across the living room.

Gilly emerged from the outside with little Sam nestled in her arms, all color drained from her face, the woman, by the look of it, was practically on her way to faint, or die.

Her son was all grins and incoherent toddler speech as he looked behind him with sparkly eyes.

"This kid likes me, I'm telling ya." She heard an unfamiliar voice coming from the other side of the door, where little Sam was looking. "Here, give me a high five."

And to her horror, the child was more responsive than he ever was in his eighteen months of life. He held his tiny palm accurately and connected it with a large hand that was covered by the door frame.

"So much swag, man!" the stranger was laughing whole heartedly, praising the baby. "Can I hold him?"

Gilly didn't even seem to be able to function anymore, she literally threw little Sam on him without looking and made her way to Ygritte with unsure steps.

That's when she saw a tall man, taller than Jon, in his twenties, entering her apartment with a surprisingly good hold on the baby, whom was clutching the guy's sandy blond hair with his small fingers.

Ygritte narrowed her eyes and saw his blue ones, a bit pale of color, wide, and dressed with thick lashes she had to envy. He was thinner than Jon, but muscular and fit all the same.

"Theon!" she heard Snow's voice. He immediately entered with a duffel bag in his hand. "Leave the baby alone before he gets contaminated!"

Theon pouted playfully at little Sam, "You're just jealous that he doesn't want you a foot near him."

Ygritte was at a loss of words, she came to the sad realization that the individual beauty of the Starks would one day be the death of her.

"Y-Ygritte."

She blinked and saw Gilly right in front of her, horrified out of her senses.

"Th-there are two _fucking celebrities_ on my doorstep." She gulped, tears gathering in her eyes. "O-one is holding my bag, and the other _my baby_ , I – I- I can't!"

Ygritte watched as Gilly stormed out of the room, the shock and emotions too overwhelming for her to handle all at once.

The door was slammed shut by another intruder, she absorbed as Sam made his way into her living room, looking very solemn and sad at how his son was enjoying himself more than he ever did with his own father, and with a complete stranger too.

Theon glanced around and paused frantically, putting the child carefully on the couch and making his way to her. For a moment she thought he would attack or something, but in a surprise, he opened his arms, wide, and engulfed her in an urgent hug.

"I speak on behalf of the entire Stark house, Ygritte," he whispered dramatically, " _Thank you_ for finally taking Jon's virginity."

She rolled her eyes. _This will be a long day._

* * *

"Iron. Born." Theon said persistently. "Say it. _I-Ron Born_."

The baby was thankfully still muttering in his own inconsistent language.

"If this turned out to be his first words," Jon turned to him with a glare. "I will hit you with a baseball bat."

Theon cupped the baby's tiny head and brought it to his cheek, "This dude is so mean, isn't he? He's threatening uncle Theon. _So mean_."

Little Sam openly glared at Jon's direction with pure hatred.

"Holy shit." Gilly hand flew to her mouth, absolutely shocked at how good Theon was with her son.

Sam still looked devastated at their interactions, his hands clutching the steering wheel too hard through the whole ride.

Ygritte really didn't want to do this, but it was a necessary action for a bunch of valid reasons, for one, Gilly and Ygritte searched the whole morning for sheets and pillows to confide their special guests, but their house was absolutely empty, no survival tools left in there for more than two people, they barely made it without losses when Sam came by sometimes to spend some nights with his soulmate, but their capacity this time was too overwhelming.

The air conditioning in the bedrooms was in ruins, and Gilly couldn't keep her baby in there for too long, not when his adoptive family finally allowed her to take him home with her for an entire day.

Prince Greyjoy announced that his majesty sleeping on a couch was a no no, not that it would fit his long legs anyway, that all aside, Jon didn't seem very picky on the subject, he just wanted to be with Ygritte and claimed that sleeping in her room wouldn't be too bad.

She realized that her soulmate's memories were corrupted since they were practically glued to each, in a pile of limbs on her small bed without enough space to properly move a finger during that one afternoon where they... were getting to know each other.

Ygritte couldn't say that she or Gilly could afford to spend the night at a hotel, not one that would fit the two elites' standards, that is. And in no way she would let them pay anything when that was concerned.

Jon had already given her the winnings of the race, about ten thousand dollars without batting an eye and refused to take it back. She couldn't deny it for too long, that money wasn't exactly hers to return, it was her aunt's.

So Ygritte gave up and raised a white flag in defeat, telling everyone to get their things and squeeze into Sam's truck so she could take them all to spend the night in Karsi and Tormund's country house.

"Now where were we?" Theon continued, "Oh yes. _I-Ron Booorn_."

"Snow," Ygritte clutched at his bicep, bringing him closer so she can whisper to him. "What the _fuck_?!"

Jon shrugged. "He's good with kids."

"Good? _Good_?" she exclaimed, "He can give _Nanny McPhee_ a run for her fucking money."

"He has this unbending magic with them that none of us can explain," Jon explained. "My mother takes him with her on children charity events as a weapon, he pretends to not want to go but one hour later you find him engaging with kids suffering from PTSD and making them smile and laugh their heart out like it's the easiest thing in the world."

"Come on, champ. _I-Ron Booorn._ "

Ygritte was fascinated. "Gods."

He nodded. "He makes us think that he doesn't care about our sister in-law's pregnancy, but we all know that he's low-key counting days off of the calendar til the baby arrives."

"Iwan Bonn."

Sam's feet hit the brakes faster than any of them had time to react.

When the car stopped completely, all eyes were darted toward little Sam with as much shock and fear any one of them can muster.

"No. No. Don't go wishy washy on me, buddy." Theon didn't look impressed. "Spell your R's, come on, _I-Ron Booorn._ "

"Iran..." the baby scratched his adorable nose, "Borrrrrn."

The car exploded in noises, Theon laughing with pride, Sam stuttering incoherently, Gilly crying in happiness, Jon cursing Theon way too inappropriately in front of the kid, and Ygritte smiling at the amusement of it.

By the time they made it to Ygritte's folks', the little guy learned about three more words. All Theon centered, mind you.

* * *

"Gweyjoyyy."

"Good progress so far," Theon announced, "But we still need to work on your R's."

"Gurayjoyyy."

"Atta boy!"

Ygritte was dying with suppressed laughter through the walk from the gate to the Bane household.

Theon gestured toward Ygritte, "What about this one?"

Little Sam held a perfectly straight index finger at her head. "Hoteee."

"Good, good," he turned them around to face Snow, "This one?"

The kid legit narrowed his eyes. "Bastad."

Jon hung his head toward the sky in despair.

"Please." Sam looked like he was close to tears, " _Please_ tell me this is a nightmare."

"He's learning so fast!" Gilly didn't seem to understand how bad the situation was, she was too busy admiring Theon's fascinating skills. "Can you please teach him how to say mama?"

"Come on, Gill," Theon shook his head in disappointment, "Be more original."

"I just want him to call me something special."

"How about _Milf_?"

Jon passionately slapped him behind the head, shutting him up.

By then Ygritte had rang the bell way too many times than necessary, and didn't right away notice how angrily it was opened.

"It's a bell not a fucking Chinese Gong!" she heard her aunt's tired voice, and Ygritte once again realized where she inherited her bad language and strange sense of humor from. Karsi stood in front of her, still in her sleeping gown with a nest of black hair and baggy almond eyes. "The _fuck_ , Ygritte?"

The whole group fell into eerie silence and nervous gulps at the authority laced in her voice.

Little Sam did his signature move in the worst time possible, pointing at her directly, "Bastad."

"Well, I know that, but," she observed herself, and narrowed her eyes at him, "What gave it away?"

He looked at Theon with a smile, "Guwayjoyyy!"

Theon immediately put a hand on the boy's mouth, "Shhh, shhh!"

"By the _old gods_ , kids," Karsi scolded them, "It's eight fucking _am_ , do you have an _ounce_ of shame? Can humans even function at this time of the day?!"

Ygritte looked around and met stony faces, and decided to take one for the team. "Aunt, we need a place to crash."

"Does this house look like a goddamn motel to you?!" she snapped, "At least fucking call in!"

"I did." Ygritte told her with a roll of her eyes, "And seven times too."

"Who the fuck's at the door?!" Tormund shouted from the inside.

"Your niece." Karsi mumbled back.

"It's still _dawn_ for fuck's sake!"

"I know right?"

"What does she want?"

"I'm not sure," she looked at each of them carefully, "I think Gilly finally convinced her to kidnap the Prime Minister's sons after all these years of stalking."

Jon and Theon looked at each other in fear.

"I _knew_ this would happen!" Tormund suddenly appeared behind her shoulder, smoothing out his fire kissed beard and beckoning them inside, "Come in before we have an army of police in front of the door!"

Ygritte sighed, looking behind her and leading them in. "They're joking." She assured the brothers. "Never take anything they say seriously."

When Theon passed by with a nod of respect toward her uncle, little Sam decided once again to make things worse and shout at him, "Hoteee!"

"Hot tea?" Tormund frowned, "You're too young for that shit, child, stick with milk."

"Miiilf!"

Ygritte laughed loudly at that while watching Theon receive another slap to the head by his furious brother.

* * *

"I can't believe that you two are sitting in our living room." Kana, Ygritte's younger cousin and one of the two legitimate daughters of the Bane family, was beaming with happiness at the sight of their guests, "Fuck, someone pinch me. What are you doing here? Can I please take a picture with you later? Are you staying? Please stay, mom makes some tasty food you'd not want to miss out on."

Jon nodded politely. "Of course."

"Say," Theon said, "How tasty are we talking here?"

Kana was in an overdrive of excitement. "The tastiest food in the world, I shit you _not_. Does any of you watch Hell's Kitchen?"

Theon's eyes widened as he turned to Karsi. "That was _you_?!"

"Alright, cut the bullshit already," Tormund snapped from his seat on the opposite couch and glared daggers at the two brothers. "Which one of you is my niece's soulmate?"

Kana's jaw dropped to the floor. " _WHAT?!_ "

Theon stood up awkwardly, making his way to Kana, "I think it's time we take that picture."

As many questions that her cousin wanted to ask, she could not have wasted the opportunity for the life of her. When the two were out of the scene and safely away from the storm that was coming, Snow leaned back and smiled thinly, looking at his folded hands. "You figured me out."

"Give me a break," Karsi snorted, "Ygritte would fool around with billionaires and football legends everyday and never give two shits to bring them to my house."

"Gods," Tormund took a very long look at him, "He's prettier than both my daughters."

Karsi nodded in agreement.

"Listen, Mr. and Mrs. Bane," Jon sat straighter, gulping miserably. "I just want you to know that-"

Both her uncle and aunt started laughing, even Ygritte couldn't stop the smile from forming on her lips. _Gods, he was adorable._

" _Mr. and Mrs. Bane_ , you heard that?" Tormund couldn't stop the ripple of sniggers, "Gods, Ygritte, where did you get this southerner from?"

"Settle down, rich boy," Karsi said, smiling in amusement, "Spare us of your incoming mind numbing speech."

"You see," Tormund told him, scratching his beard, "We raised Ygritte by our own hands since before she could walk."

"And we don't give a flying fuck about what you promise us." Karsi added seriously, "Because we sure as the hells know that if you hurt her just a _tiny_ bit, she would cut off that cock of yours and wear it as a necklace."

"It might be one very small necklace," her uncle smiled wickedly, "But Ygritte holds her accessories dear to her."

"And if you managed to stay alive, she can always borrow Edd's desert truck and put it into use, he won't mind since he still has these _'feelings'_."

"Oh yeah, he has a nice ride, that one. She can run over your pretty little body with those gigantic wheels and leave you as a trail of blood and gore."

"And she can always use that dagger she bought from _E-bay_ to pierce it right through your heart."

"I think she bought some spears too, all for the better, if you ask me."

Ygritte put two fingers on her chin, considering. "Or I can just shoot an arrow straight in his eyes-"

"Alright, _alright_!" Jon exclaimed, raising his hand to silence the three of them. Ygritte was shocked to sense a very angry aura radiating off of him and shooting straight toward her like an electrical signal in between them, even her adoptive parents felt the dominance and didn't utter a single word. "You passed the point through!"

Karsi and Tormund sent sly smiles in his direction, still silent, though. While Ygritte slightly felt ashamed of how she drifted away, completely joining their side against him. That was a cheap move.

"Now," he rose abruptly, pulling Ygritte up with him by the hand, almost forcibly. "If you'll excuse us."

Not even waiting for a reply, Jon lead them toward the hallway with a very sour mood, letting Ygritte know that she had definitely succeeded in pissing him off, again, the way he refused to look at her was a dead giveaway.

"Snow," she tried to politely warn him that his grip was turning way tighter than necessary; almost cutting the blood circulation from her limb, but the fellow seemed to have turned deaf. So with clinched teeth, she yanked her arm away. " _Snow_!"

She rubbed her wrist with a snarl, realizing that they had already stepped into the porch, outside of the farm house, away from earshot

He turned on his axis, jaw clinched and eyes narrowed in a glare.

She sighed, "Listen, I'm sorry we said those things, it was seriously just a-"

"Who's Edd?"

Ygritte's lips parted, forming a small O at the sudden irrelevant question. " _What_?!"

"I said," he hissed, taking a step towards her as he gradually lowered his voice. " _Who's_ Edd?"

"Are you serious?" she cocked her head to the side, examining him for any signs of a healthy brain. "Is this really all you heard?"

"Ygritte!"

"Fine!" she snapped, "Edd is just a friend, alright?"

"A friend with _'feelings'_."

"Who knows, Snow? It might be friendship feelings... family feelings... partnership feelings..."

"Yeah, and I'm a dumbass."

"Okay." She put a hand on her hip, avoiding eye contact. "So _maybe_ we slept together once..."

"Seven hells!"

"... and say, _maybe_ he's still not over it..."

"Are you serious?!"

"...and, uh, I'm not suggesting it or anything, but just to put out there, _maybe_ he still wants to find his way back-"

"Ygritte." _Gods almighty_ , the way he said her name in such suppressed rage, despite herself, was such a turn on. She never knew her name had such tasty syllables until the day she heard him pronounce it for the first time. No matter how intimidating it must've been, she was too distracted to notice. "Are there any others like this guy that I should know of?"

She frowned, registering the insult pretty quickly. "What the fuck's that suppose to mean?"

He closed in, leaving almost no distance between them, not with an inch of guilt at what he just accused her of. "Is there?"

"What now, Snow?" Ygritte's voice was accompanied with venom. "You think I'm a slut who gives her friends favors all the time? Huh? Is that what you think of me?"

He frowned, his face a mixture of anger and disappointment. _The bastard_. "Really, Ygritte?"

"Yes, Snow, _really_." She spat back, daring him to say it out loud. The rage was almost blinding her vision. It didn't matter who it was, whether Jon Stark, the Prime Minister, or even the king of the fucking Seven Kingdoms himself, Ygritte would never let anyone look down on her like that.

"You actually fucking think I'll even _consider_ that?!" his voice was volumes too high. That was a first, she might not have known him for more than two days, but that time span was alone for her to characterize him as a very levelheaded person who didn't let his feelings get the best of him. " _Stop_ deciphering my actions and words in such a judgmental way, if you keep doing this, I'll fucking lose my shit!"

"Then what was that for?!" she countered.

"I was asking you if there are more men pining over you," he snapped.

"Pining over – what?" her eyes widened, she was actually trying to swallow up a wave of laughter. "Who would even – I mean, come on, look at me."

"I am." His grey eyes literally searched through her soul, leaving it absolutely shaken by the flame in his gaze. "You're so oblivious it's _frustrating_."

"Oblivious to what?"

"Do you know that I'm actually scared shitless?" he shook his head. "I've spent less than forty eight hours with you and I'm _scared_ , scared of going insane with this pull you have, scared that someone would see what I see in you, scared of watching men like those two in the racetrack stare at you like that again, scared that you'll realize that perhaps, I'm not your best option, never will be-"

"Shut up!" she yelled, furious. "Just shut the _fuck_ up!"

He smiled solemnly. "It's the truth."

"No it's _not_ the truth," she said, "Styr, Orell, and Edd are _nothing_ compared to the other fuckers I hang out with. But guess what? I have been living like that for a while because those are the only people who can handle me. And don't you dare underestimate my judgment. I know how to throw off those pieces of shit by my own."

Jon sucked in a long breath. "And you expect me to tolerate it?"

"Yes." Ygritte said with utmost confidence. "I'm a Wildling, Snow, and I won't let anyone control how I live my life, not even my soulmate."

There was no way that Ygritte was going to change the people she communicated with, because who would be left to withstand her? And besides, the guy was never photographed without a model or another princess of their elite society by his side, he would probably scoff her off when she demanded him to stay away from them, so why wouldn't she?

She expected him to lash out and fight, demand his dominance like most men do at these kinds of situations.

But he just nodded once, and in full understanding. "You got it. And since we're being honest, I don't want to hide anything from you."

Ygritte was slightly confused, and nervous. He was a virgin before he met her, right? So he wouldn't have anything that would be considered a threat to her, right? _Right_? "Sure, go ahead."

"That woman," he started, "The one I almost slept with; it was extremely rude what I did to her so I apologized and we got to know each other, she's a friend, and we talk sometimes. That's it. I just wanted you to know."

Ygritte completely ignored the lash of energy that emitted from his body, telling her that something was wrong, all she could focus on was that alien feeling that was slowly tainting her chest. "How frequently?"

"Time to time," he answered. "Our last conversation was yesterday before me and Sam headed to the track."

The entire view before her eyes disappeared, engulfing the porch and Jon Snow in one color. Red. Poisonous. Dangerous. "What's her name?"

"Val."

Red slowly changed to a darker hue, a striking crimson that painted everything.

The bone crushing feeling travelled into her veins, slowly, making the blood rush and sending a painful stab into her ribcage. What was it? This unfamiliar emotion? Anger? Betrayal? Spite?

No. It was way worse, darker, more consuming, and she finally registered it.

It was _jealousy_.

An awful amount of it rummaged through her, unforgiving and evil, demanding possession and a claim on her soulmate before her wits were lost.

It was her first time feeling it since she came out of her mother's womb, and she _hated_ it more than anything else, especially the helplessness that came with it.

Even the bitch's name sounded threatening.

 _Oh_. Ygritte thought on instinct. _She's a fucking dead woman_. That much she knew.

If he was sensing the chaotic emotional flood in her, Jon seemed unfazed, because the fucking bastard was too busy scrolling through his phone.

His eyebrow quirked when he found what he was looking for, Snow showed her a peak of the messages she had sent him. "We're very casual when we talk, so don't worry."

He flipped the phone away before she could read one word, not that Ygritte would've been able to at her current state.

Don't worry? Don't _fucking_ worry?! The bitch's texts were filled with hearts and roses and kisses. _How DARE SHE?_ The Wildling roared. _I will KILL HER_.

"Give me the phone." Ygritte found herself saying with a voice she didn't recognize. " _Give_ it."

"Excuse me?" Jon's eyebrows shot up in offence. "And why would I do that?"

"I said give it!" she was struggling to get her hands on it but Jon did not even let her, the bastard was too strong and had fascinating reflexes. "The bitch k- _kissed_ you, she _wanted_ you in her bed!"

"Yeah? So what?" he was beyond annoyed at her actions, to a point he had to push her toward the wooden door and restrain her wrists away, gripping them with one hand above her head, glaring at her. "You're being a fucking hypocrite."

She couldn't believe her ears. He called her a hypocrite while _he_ claimed that she was so precious to him.

If he indeed, regarded her like that, he would've felt the same feelings that were eating her whole right now. She had slept with Edd, she had given her virginity to Styr, and much, much worse, and they wanted more, she felt it. The bastard _knew_ , and still accepted it if she hung out with them.

How could he even _let_ her?

Ygritte knew that she wouldn't, not after experiencing that rage. He should have yelled, fought, and cursed at her for doing it to one's own soulmate.

Ygritte was too busy trying to release herself that she did not see the conversion of his facial expressions.

His gaze softened and there was a definite hint of smile on the corner of his slips when Ygritte focused enough to see.

"My father gave us a lesson once on how to treat our soulmates, and it really stuck with me ever since; it was something wise, along the lines of: _'Never do something that you wouldn't want them doing to you_ '." He smiled, letting go of her wrists gently and putting the phone in the palm of her hand. "I haven't seen Val in five years, and I'm not even sure that was her name." He pointed at the lit screen. "That was my sister Sansa by the way, she talks more Emoji than English."

Relief flooded her system, which was one of the most shameful feelings she comprehended.

"I won't force you to do anything or try to control you. _Never_." His hand caressed her cheek, electricity shooting at every nerve end of her face and spreading like wildfire. "I just wanted you to know how it feels. And if you still want to surround yourself by them, I will not-"

"I won't." She said firmly. "I promise. They're a bunch of sick fuckers anyway and I don't even see them that much, I just said that because I'm stubborn."

"Thank _god_." He exhaled the longest sigh, his entire body relaxing. "Because I was one hair away from taking Longclaw on a fucking killing spree."

Ygritte grinned. "Longclaw?"

"My gun." He said nonchalantly, and upon seeing her fascinating expression he added, "I'm a military officer, Ygritte, remember?"

 _Godfuckingdamnit._ She thought, _is there anything about this man that wasn't utterly sexy?_

Suddenly, their position against the wall, and the way he was caging her became very convenient.

A few minutes of staring and one word was all the persuasion he needed. "Jon-"

Her mouth was completely sealed by a hungry one, her arms once again flying over her head with his hold of them. _Jon_. His first name was like a button, activating all sexual desires in between them like a light match on gasoline. She enjoyed saying it, he loved hearing it; it was a double edged sword.

She parted her lips, welcoming his tongue inside while his grip on her wrists tightened with restrained urges. He whirled inside her mouth, tasting every inch and cutting off all the air, not that they needed it.

His hand slipped to squeeze around her waist, pulling her even closer while the other released her wrists and connected with the back of her neck. _Closer_. _Closer_. _More_. She could almost taste his need with all of the skin contact. Or was it just hers?

Ygritte ran her fingers though his curls, soft and easy to pull, and perhaps too hard. But the satisfied groan he released, and the sound vibrating through her mouth, kept her pressing.

Amidst all the hazy lust, she heard him utter one almost incoherent sentence between mind numbing kisses. "Come with me to King's Landing."

She inhaled sharply, arching her chin upward with closed eyes so he could get access to her already bruised neck. "Why?"

"I want them to see you." He sucked. "I want them to see how perfect you are." He licked. "I want them to see how fucking lucky I am." And he bit, on that sore spot again, making her gasp at how well he was able to pleasure her.

"Yes." She wasn't even hearing him. "Oh. _Yes_."

They skipped the tour around the house and went straight to her bedroom, unleashing the monsters they both possessed within, in an eruption of need that didn't seem to die down even after multiple climaxes.

Jon Snow, he wasn't a man, he was an _animal_ , a hungry, dominant, ravaging beast who left her wobbling the next morning.

She was the only woman who got to see that side of him, and no one else.

One loud prayer was passed back and forth between them, never have these words been spoken with so much faith and believe.

 _"_ _You're mine. And I'm yours."_

* * *

 ** _Foreshadowing of the next story:_**

Ygritte's eyes couldn't leave that blonde figure, and much to her disbelief, the view was terribly enchanting, and so, _so_ out of place. "Snow?"

Even with closed eyes, the smile never seemed to leave his lips in the past week they've spent in that farm house. "Yes, babe?"

"You may want to take a look at this." she breathed heavily, staring at two small feet far away that were slowly moving in rhythm.

"'Don wanna." He craned his neck, all nerves relaxing by Ygritte's fingers combing unconsciously through his hair.

It was her current favorite feature about him, she decided, as she glanced down and saw how calm he was, his head resting fittingly on her lap.

"He – he's trying to teach him how to _walk_ this time."

Snow smirked. "He can try, but no way in hell-"

He was interrupted by Gilly's cry.

" _Aaaand_ he did it." Ygritte's announced, not even surprised anymore upon seeing Little Sam walking to his mother's direction, in ten whole footsteps without falling.

Theon Greyjoy, in a span of one week, had managed to teach a baby, whom everyone had lost fate in with his slow development, how to respond to gestures, talk, and _walk_ by himself.

Ygritte was about to feel irritated by the stolen spotlight from the baby's parents, but when she glanced at the small family, with Gilly shouting incoherent words at her son, and Sam crying in happiness, she smiled.

She won't lie, there were some moments when Ygritte worried that the kid had some sort of disability, but Theon crushed all suspicions and brought back hope.

However, that wasn't what was out of place.

It was the fact that they were currently in the backyard, with Tormund and Karsi grilling at the corner, making the food for the barbeque party Kana was hosting in Theon and Jon's honor, with attractive females floating all around the Greyjoy with admiration and bedroom eyes.

And how Theon didn't seem to give a fuck about them.

"Look at that," Ygritte's eyes widened, "This girl is stroking your brother's arm and he doesn't even _see_ it."

 _Absolutely fascinating._

Jon's head tilted a little. "And?"

"Look, Kana is my cousin, but I know that she can be a slut when she wants to." Ygritte explained, "Her friends are even worse."

"Your point?"

"It has been seven days and Theon didn't flirt with _anyone._ " It was like everything she ever heard about the guy was a bunch of lies. For her, he just seemed like that one idiot who didn't know some limits and was a wizard around kids. "Not even a _hint_ of interest to any female. Is he really King Landing's notorious fuckboy?"

"There's this thing about Theon..." Jon sighed, "He gets out of control, he even tried his moves on the queen once," Ygritte grimaced at that. "But there's a switch for it, and right now, that switch is off."

"Let me take a wild guess." Ygritte smirked, it was all coming clear now. "He only pulls the fuckboy act when a _certain_ someone is around."

He nodded, impressed by her deduction. "Or when some people are there to pass the news to that _certain_ someone."

She grinned. "He isn't soulmateless after all, is he?"

Jon gave her a knowing look. "It came out as a surprise to all of us."

Ygritte stroke his hair gently and watched Theon, once again, with a miserable expression on his face every time he thought no one was watching.

She smiled sadly at the view. "The girl has no idea how special she is, no fucking clue."

 **The End**

* * *

 **[A/N]**

Don't be shy and leave a review, for the old gods and the new. (It rhymes, man)


	22. Chapter 22

**Perfectly Prejudiced (Theon and Jeyne's Story) | Chapter One: Stupid, Selfish, Inconsiderate**

 _Three years after Sansa Stark's graduation party :_

Passing through the numerous cracks of the pavement with ninja skills and a long range of passionate curses thrown in all directions, Jeyne Poole had managed to make her way from the Winterfell Castle, avoid the muddy spots of the outskirts of the Kingsroad, and enter the Winter Town with her brand new Louboutin heels still intact, which was a goddamn great achievement if she may say so herself.

She loved Winterfell to death and all, since it was the place she grew up and lived in most of her life, but the fact that all sorts of automobiles were still banned from entering the ancient capital of the North was a complete nuisance, not mentioning the punishing weather, in which, mind you, was currently at the hottest days of summer but still making her almost start shitting ice cubes in her spot.

Not that Jeyne wasn't guilty of violating the Winterfell dress code alarmingly, which included warm and heavy fur boots three hundred and sixty days a year, along with coats and jackets that almost weighed more than herself, but she had to admit, now clad in a pencil skirt, a white cashmere blouse, and a denim jacket, that she had graced Winterfell unprepared this time.

 _Stupid, selfish, inconsiderate bitch_ , Jeyne cursed her alleged "bestfriend" all over again, who was the culprit behind all this. _Just let the bridezilla phase be over and I'll show her the true monster._

She was far, far away in Highgarden taking full advantage of her vacation, minding her own business and enjoying the company of Renly and Loras, now officially both Baratheon by marriage, after launching off their new spring collection of _'Fleur Tressure'_ that took almost a whole year of hard work.

Jeyne had partnered with the Baratheon couple two and a half years ago the moment she was offered a partnership with them and transformed herself into a workaholic ever since, day and night, season by season, year by year, to a point that her partners had to drag her forcibly away from all the buzz before she worked herself to death, which was an exaggeration, really, she had full control of her health.

So what if she took the business seriously? Slept only four hours a day? Started planning new projects before the current ones were even finished? Lost twenty four pounds in three months? Lived off of coffee?

Wasn't that what adulthood was about?!

The whole thing took a huge toll on her relationship with the Starks, whom she lost contact with and talked to any of them roughly once a year, her father even accused her once of abandoning her bonds with them completely.

And that was exactly what she was aiming for.

She had missed Robb Junior's birth a few years back, but on her defense, she _did_ send Robb and the other Jeyne an entire new wardrobe for the baby as an apology for her absence, and it was on top of the Kid's fashion at the time, so they better be grateful.

And who the hell still names their son after his father? Was it the lack of names in this vast world?

She had missed Sansa's and Jon's engagements, respectively, because at both times she was buried alive in her work to a point of a nervous breakdown.

She had deliberately missed the living embodiment of a fashion disaster, Aria's, new fitness center opening in Braavos because it was a half world away for gods' sake, and well, she was never even close to that Horseface to begin with.

A lot of other events followed, from birthdays to anniversaries, to graduations, and quite frankly, Jeyne didn't regret ditching any of them.

And risk bumping into _him_? Not a chance.

She was completely, utterly, and with every ounce and fiber of her goddamn being, _done_ with that piece of shit.

After what he had done to her the last time she was with him.

 _Never_ , she inhaled sharply, _never, ever again._

But that peace and happiness could not have lasted forever, obviously, not when Sansa ( _the stupid, selfish, inconsiderate bitch_ mentioned before) had invited Jeyne to her wedding.

And to make matters even worse, it wasn't just a one day - give the wedding and groom presents - possibly be one of the bridesmaids - dance a little and socialize with people she hasn't seen in years - come back the next morning - kinda thing. Unfortunately, it was way, _way_ more than that.

Abandoning her bonds with the Starks was one thing, but cutting off ties with her childhood bestfriend, Sansa, was an entirely different ordeal.

Starting their own fashion line was one of their biggest dreams ever since they were children, and planning the formation of their company started at their years of college, where the two girls took it very seriously; it was fun and cute while it lasted before the event that almost ruined her life, driving Jeyne to escape every relation of that monster that kept destroying her every chance he got.

And giving up on Sansa's friendship was a huge blow, to both of them.

That did not mean that the Stark girl didn't pursue that line of career, no, she had done a great deal and made a name for herself, the _'Little Bird'_ was one of Fleur Tressure's greatest rivals in the industry, which was a very sad outcome whenever Jeyne looked back at what she had given up on.

Now, back to the issue at hand, instead of labeling her as the enemy and keeping Jeyne away from anything related to her work, Sansa had declared, instead, that she (if she was in her right mind or not, is still mystery) would forcibly make Jeyne a major part in her photoshoot for Little Bird's upcoming winter collection.

As - which came as a shock to everyone – the collection's leading model, and with the theme of... fucking wait for it...

 _Queen of Love and Beauty_.

Jeyne snorted, that woman was out her fucking mind.

Sansa had showed her parts of her mood board for the theme, and Jeyne couldn't deny that she was impressed, it centered around the medieval times of tourneys, knights and ladies in silk dresses and crowns of flowers; it was Sansa's eternal obsession, no surprise there.

But since that _stupid, selfish, inconsiderate bitch_ was too busy planning her upcoming wedding that was rumored to be the greatest event in Winterfell's history since the Battle of The Bastards a century ago, she had no time to spare on Little Bird, or anything else for that matter, for she had reached her final form of Bride-fucking-zilla when she called her a week ago.

Upon instant declining of that utterly ridiculous offer, Sansa, with a nerve and arrogance of a mad queen, pulled out the big guns and threatened to expose Jeyne's relation with her adopted brother to the public. And that will, with no doubt, put her reputation, along with Fleur Tressure, to the ground in a matter of hours.

She was already imagining the deadlines following that release in horror. ' _Jeyne Poole soulmate to Capita's very own infamous Playboy?!' 'The Most Shocking Scandal!' 'The Greatest Deception Comes To Light!'_

 _That treacherous cunt!_ Jeyne thought, her anger resurfacing _._ _So much for being BFFs since birth_.

But the betrayal wasn't the most ridiculous part of the whole deal, but it was the fact that out of all creatures and human beings in the Seven Kingdoms, Jeyne, the plain, every day looking girl that passes you on the street, who was occasionally considered somehow pretty, would portray that role.

She could barely find her socks every morning, let alone present Westerous's _Queen of Love and fucking Beauty._

So naturally, with all dread, hate, and the holes planted in her back by that family, Jeyne raised a white flag in defeat and accepted, after lots of threats on Sansa's life, to go with the bloody thing.

She just felt sorry for the fellow model that was going to work with her, who with no doubt was expecting the likes of Sansa, Margery Tyrell, and Danaerys Targaryen to be his queen. Not her.

* * *

"In the name of the old gods!" a voice exclaimed when Jeyne entered the building, "What in the bloody hell are you wearing, Jeyne?!"

"Oh," with wobbling legs and shaking hands, Jeyne adjusted the strap of her Gucci bag, "H-h-hey Dad."

"Are you out of your mind, girl?!" Voyan Poole, with newly grown whiskers and graying hair, responded. "Quick, sit down at my office and warm yourself up!"

"Thanks, but I'm already late," though, she had to admit, the North Company lines' HQ had changed a lot since the last time she was there, hence why she was completely lost. "You have any idea where the Little Bird's photoshoot meeting is being held?"

He sighed, shaking his head and pressing the elevator button next to him. "I'll take you, follow me."

"My hero." She planted a kiss on her father's cheek and entered the lift, still feeling numb from that freezing walk. _That stupid, selfish, inconsiderate-_

"Jeyne, honey, why didn't you burrow something to wear from Sansa this morning?" Voyan said, confused. "For gods' sakes, she's two doors away from your chambers!"

"Dad," she said, her tone almost venomous, "I'm not on good terms with her right now, alright?"

Her father - thank the gods, old and new - was completely left in the dark about almost everything that went down between her and _that man_.

And she was planning to keep it that way. Else, the old man was at risk of a heartattack.

"What about the rest of the residents of the castle? Goddamnit, you could've just asked me!"

"Truth be told, I was really late so I had no time to think of that." She admitted. "No one died, dad, so calm down."

He sighed again, not knowing what else to say.

It was her first time in Winterfell in a long, long time, and even for someone who was as jetlagged as herself when she arrived last night, Voyan wasn't a fool to believe that that was her only reason to greet him and escape to her chambers immediately before running into any of the Starks.

What if she saw _him_ there? She wasn't prepared at the time for the dramatic outcome of their encounter.

Voyan guided her to the end of the corridor on level 13, and pointed at the door that had a sign addressing it as the _'Marketing and Advertisements - Meeting Room'_

"Good luck," he kissed her on the brow, "And don't you dare go out of this building wearing _this_."

"Aye, aye," she turned the knob, smiling. "See ya around, Pops."

Introductions were made politely with the people present at the meeting room, the only familiar face was Miranda, whom Jeyne wasn't surprised to see as an active member of the Little Bird's family, next were Lady Merryweather, an elegantly dressed woman that screamed of cunty vibes the instant she shook her hands, and her husband, a poor old man that looked so out of place it was sad.

Jeyne had no idea why Sansa had hired those two, knowing too well that they were acquainted with Cersei Lannister herself, but she shrugged it off, she had nothing to do with the woman's colleague choices.

And last but not least, sitting at the head of the table like he owned the place, a sneaky looking man introduced himself as Petyr Baelish, who claimed to be in charge of the photoshoot. For the life of him, he couldn't physically stop undressing her with his eyes, which made Jeyne very, very uncomfortable under his gaze.

Coffee was served, helping her slightly to warm up and cease the blueness on her lips from the cold. However, Jeyne couldn't help but pop the most obvious question when everyone was seated. "Isn't someone missing?"

"Aye," Petyr said with western accent, leaning on his chair and all the while practically eye-raping her. _Remind me to never be alone with him_. "Our Knight seems to be running late."

"Well, I suppose it won't come as a surprise if he was too busy for us." Lady Merryweather said, "Given that he has lots of things on his plate."

Petyr rolled his eyes.

Jeyne didn't get the meaning behind that statement, especially since she was in such a haste that she didn't have time to research the project even a little bit, so she was completely left in the shadows. One thing she knew, that not being punctual at work was considered a scratch at her bad side.

Jeyne didn't miss the way Miranda kept moving in her seat, a sign that the woman was nervous.

 _What are you up to, hmm_? Jeyne wondered, addressing Sansa, the devil herself that couldn't make it to the meeting.

The clock was ticking eerily, almost marking a half hour passing and Jeyne was losing her patience, her mean and strict workaholic persona surfacing; that model was quite lucky that she was just a temporal employee and not his employer, because if so, he would have been fired at the spot.

The rest however, didn't seem bothered at all, as if they weren't sitting down like a group of old people in a nursing room playing Bingo while they waited for him, heck, even if their boss herself was late they wouldn't have been so calm about it.

"Miss Poole," Lady Merryweather said, trying to get people talking amidst the awkward silence. "Just so you know, I myself am a huge fan of your latest collection." She eyed her outfit up to down.

 _Gods_ , she almost said at her subtle insult and smirking face, _you're so full of shit_.

"Likewise," Jeyne told her with a smile, "I expect no less from Sansa's team, with all those _tiny_ parts you have in it."

Petyr snorted loudly.

Merryweather could've almost made a hole in her head.

Jeyne put her hands on the table, ready to stand up and give everyone a piece of her mind on how goddamn _unprofessional_ this delay was. Years in this field and no one dared to degrade her like that, and they weren't starting now, no matter how important that model thought he was.

Rushed footsteps were heard, making Jeyne stop by her tracks as the door opened. A man, that the tip of his head almost reached the frame of the door above him, stepped in, turning immediately to lock it and to take off his coat.

"I apologize, everyone, I know I'm late." A deep voiced covered the medium of the room, so low yet so adamant on proving its presence. It had changed so much that Jeyne didn't recognize it for a moment there, "But the meeting with my father took longer than I expected. He sends his apologies too."

He hung the coat quickly, his dirty blond hair shining with the faint light. Jeyne did not take long to identify that color, compare that upgraded voice to the one that was already implanted in her memory, present in most of her dreams. By the time he turned around, Jeyne was already contemplating on:

1) How to murder Sansa in cold blood without any witnesses.

2) How to dispose of her body.

3) How to pick up her shit and leave as fast as possible.

4) How he was in on this and going as far as to downgrade her like that.

 _The nerve of him!_

So much had changed about that man, yet it seemed like nothing did at all, from his currently grown hair that reached down his ears, as wild and untamed as ever. To his body that never seemed to stop getting taller and more fit, to his broad shoulders, that now made him look more mature and serious, his lips that she knew the taste of by heart, the crease in his forehead that rarely disappeared, the lashes that were definitely longer and thicker than hers, and to those sad... sad eyes of his that only glowed once, a few years back, before he decided to ruin everything between them again, in the most painful way possible.

Jeyne still remembered what he had told her before her whole world fell apart in an instant, it was a combination of words that haunted every waking moment of her days, even on occasion her dreams, the words that she had never stopped trying to understand; where they came from, what had she done so he would say them, who made him, what caused him, what did he saw of her before he...

 _'_ _I'm sorry, but I can't do this. Have a great life.'_

Jeyne's hands were twitching vigorously in need.

In need to get up and slap him across the fucking face.

Years of separation completely dimmed their soulmate bond to a point that when his blue eyes caught her brown ones, she didn't even have a clue on what he was feeling, he could've said that the sky was red and she couldn't know if he was lying or not.

She didn't want to hear his ill timed humor, mocking, or any explanation he had to offer to that shit Sansa make her go with. It could've been his idea for all she knew.

What was she even thinking? _Of course_ it was his idea. Sansa would never be evil enough do that to her.

She was ready to stand up, insult everyone in the room, and make her leave.

What Jeyne didn't expect, however, was the glare that fixated itself on his eyes, anger flaring in them in huge dozes that even she herself could feel.

"Are..." he said through gritted teeth, completely avoiding Jeyne and sending deadly daggers especially toward Miranda who was shrinking in her seat. "Are you _fucking kidding me_?!"

He pulled his coat off of the hanger in such force that it almost broke, leaving in light speed and slamming the door shut behind him, its frame shaking and the _bang_ echoing all the way through the room.

Everyone present fell into a suffocating silence, with Jeyne breathing heavily, vision cloudy, throat dry, and heart beating like thunder against her ribcage.

She had to run away before she broke down and started crying in front of all these people.

"Now," Petyr coughed uncomfortably, "This was quite odd..."

A smile crept on Merryweather's lips, "I'm very sorry Miss Poole, you're a strange choice for the shoot, indeed, but his reaction was not appropriate." She sipped her coffee innocently, "No matter how you are in the looks department."

Jeyne didn't even have the time to snap at how she just subtly called her _'too ugly for the shoot'_.

Miranda, however, didn't stay quite. "Jeyne is a great choice and we are lucky to have her." she came for her defense, "So how about you shut the fuck up and keep your nose out of this?"

Merryweather's jaw hanged, "I beg your pardon?"

Petyr was looking around the table with excitement, smiling like he was watching an episode of _Keeping Up With the Kardashians_.

"Excuse me." Jeyne finally found the energy to grab her bag and stand up, instantly bolting out of the room, away from the humiliation.

 _She's dead_. Jeyne declared, tears gathering in her eyes. _Sansa's fucking DEAD_.

She dug into her poor bag, almost ruining its expensive outlet before she found her phone and braced herself to finish off her childhood bestfriend with the scolding of her life.

That was until her fingers stopped their objective upon hearing the shouts down at the corner of the corridor.

Her foot moved automatically toward that angry sound that was sending people away until she was near enough to hear everything crystal clearly. She blended in with the surface of the wall, standing flat against it and closing her eyes to understand his words.

"Are you fucking deaf?!" he snapped at the phone, "I will say it again. Count. Me. Out."

Jeyne squeezed her eyes even more. What was this? Pain? Where was it coming from? And _Why_?

"To hell with the contract, Sans!" he exclaimed, "I own a part of this fucking company, remember?!"

 _The contract_. Jeyne gulped, she had signed one too before coming here!

"You're being ridiculous, absolutely _ridiculous_." He told Sansa, "Ridiculous level over fucking nine thousand!"

She covered her mouth, a million thought running in turbulent swirls around her head.

"I don't know if it's gigantor, or the wedding that's messing with that pretty head of yours," he went on, "And I'm not sure if I wanna know which."

Jeyne found herself debating it too. Why would Sansa even do this? It didn't even seem like something she'd dare to do.

There was something awfully suspicious about the whole thing.

He groaned, and Jeyne heard the beep of the call's end. "Fuck! _Fucking_ hell!"

She heard his footsteps and was about to take off, but he was too fast and caught her red handed, eavesdropping on his private conversation. Almost a replicated one that she was about to have with the same person, but she was bet to it.

He glanced at her for a split second before sighing, not looking a tiny bit surprised at her presence, as if he knew that she was there the whole time.

He put the phone in the back pocket of his jeans, not sparing her a look when he spoke. "I'll take care of it." He said, his voice almost completely hallow, "Go back to the castle and leave it to me."

He's giving orders now? And how exactly was he taking care of it? They're done, they're through, and there was _no_ way out of this mess as far as she knew.

Jeyne had to go back and reread the contract that she had signed in a hurry, she did read it throughoutly when Sansa faxed it to her a week ago, but now, the situation took a one hundred eighty degrees turn.

"And you," she whispered, feeling both nostalgic in this particular position, almost identical to the one she was in that graduation party, and furious. "Go back to hell."

Jeyne didn't wait for his response before taking off with thunderous steps, punishing her Louboutins and attracting curious glances before entering the elevator like a crazy woman.

She continued her journey without looking around her, so as a result, lots of people had the misfortune of bumping into her, papers scattered around about two times before Jeyne gathered enough sanity and focus to see the transparent glass of the main exit.

The mere sight of the snow covered sidewalk at the other side of the doors was enough to send a chill down Jeyne's spine.

She shook her head, another walk back to Winterfell's Castle won't kill her.

Would it?

Well, not with the speed she was heading out.

A voice called for _Jey_ , repeatedly, and despite herself, she found both of her legs stopping in a halt, anticipation concentrating in bubbles deep inside her guts. He must've been running to actually be able to catch up to her that fast.

Did he want to say sorry for what he did to her three years ago?

Was he going to say that he wanted her back?

Will he _explain_ himself, at least?

Instead, he turned her around, and as usual, Jeyne could only see his collarbone in that opened fraction of his button shirt in front of her, not that she dared to look up any further than that. Even with what little she saw, she was physically, and in sick extremes, attracted to him, every fucking part of him despite herself.

It wasn't her mind that controlled that attraction. It was her heart, her body, her cells, and every atom that made them up.

And she _hated_ it.

Theon slid his coat off of his shoulders, sighing.

"It isn't Highgarden, Jey." He mumbled, wrapping the warm piece of clothing around her protectively, securing the two buttons in slow movements in front of her chest, "Dress accordingly."

Jeyne almost dived into another world at that gentle gesture before snapping herself out of it and trying to shake it off. "It's fine-"

"I don't need it, anyway." Theon's grip tightened around the collar, stopping her attempts. "Hell is a pretty warm place."

* * *

 _Stupid, selfish, inconsiderate bastard!_ Jeyne thought through the whole trip back to that godforsaken castle, this time, her hate directed at someone else.

She would come out of this alive, happy, and unattached.

She would not fall for his attempts, again.

She would not let him hurt her, again.

She would not let him fuck everything up, _again_ , for the _zillionth_ time.

 _I wouldn't. I wouldn't. I wouldn't._ Jeyne prayed like a septa, repeatedly burying her nose on his coat and feeding off of his scent like it was a drug she tried to quit a long time ago, with no success, her heart still pounding in her breast.

She stopped the moment she realized what she was doing unconsciously. _I wouldn't, would I?_

* * *

 **[A/N]**

I just have to say this, I _love_ writing Jeyne's POV, she's nothing but polar opposite to all the characters I always portray and every single time it's a huge challenge for me as an amateur writer. It's like, I'm writing her and all that floats in my head is _'Gurl, get your shit together ffs.'_ \- laughs -

I know, I know, none of you give a fuck. I do hope you enjoyed my hard work! See ya next time, on my next challenge. :')


	23. Chapter 23

**Perfectly Prejudiced Chapter Two: The Authors**

She burst through the chambers' door like a psychopath, uninvited, pissed off, and on her way to fulfill one objective: Rip the woman who was resident in it, to shreds, with her perfectly manicured nails, then feed them to the hungry direwolves outside.

The door circled around its axis and clashed head on with the wall next to it as Jeyne entered, shouting, "You fucking BITCH!"

Everything was in a haze, one moment Sansa was one foot away, sitting completely unprotected on the huge mattress of her bed with a collection of fabrics laid in front of her, whispering _'Oh shit'_ upon seeing the intruder, and a split second later, she was hiding behind an impregnable wall in the middle of the room.

"You just signed your goddamn death warrant!" Jeyne announced, launching toward her target, trying to reach for Sansa but the wall kept pushing her back slightly whenever she came too close. "Any last words?!"

"Jeyne, honey," half of Sansa's head cocked out behind the side of the wall, "You need to calm down-"

"Calm down?" all of Jeyne's attempts to hit her were unsuccessful so far, "CALM DOWN?!"

"Seven save us." She squeaked.

"You sneaky little piece of-" Jeyne paused, trying to understand why Sansa wasn't getting beaten bloody under her yet, and looked up slowly to see the head of the wall separating them, which was actually a man, more so a _titan_ of a man, with a quarter of his face looking like an aftermath of burns. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

"I was getting bored out of my wits before a nutcase started attacking my fiancé," Sandor Clegane spat out. "But that's past the point."

"Hey!" Sansa interjected, "Choosing the fabric of your suit's handkerchief is _not_ boring!"

"They're all white and look the same, for fuck sake!"

"No they don't!" she shook her head, mortified by the statement. "And besides, _you're_ the one who didn't want a boutonniere!"

"How many times should I tell you?!" he grumbled, waving a hand up and down with each word, "I will _not_ put a bloody flower on my fucking suit! What do I look like to you, a human garden?!"

Sansa was almost reaching the point of tears. "But it's my wedding!"

He turned around, gaping at her. "Bloody gods, it's _my_ wedding too!"

"But a boutonniere would look way better!" she whined like a child, "Jeyne! You tell him!"

"She's right." Jeyne nodded with utter seriousness, "It will definitely compliment her dress."

" _Yes_!" Sansa whirled around, settling right in front of her. "Thank you!"

"Are you fucking serious?" Sandor frowned at Jeyne. "Didn't you just want to _murder_ her a second ago?"

Her eyes widened at the realization, seeing a clear opening for her attack. In a flash, she pounced like a stray cat right at the redhead, earning a sharp yelp from her victim.

A hand pulled Sansa back to safety behind Sandor, and another pushed Jeyne back with as little force as he can manage to use. " _Enough_!" he shouted, his patience thinning.

Jeyne tried with all her might, but the Hound could practically overpower her with his pinky finger. "Stay out of this!"

"Believe me, I want to, but not until you get your head out of your fucking ass," he shot back, "What will you do? Pull her hair?"

"Don't give her ideas!" Sansa yelled, clutching his arm, "Do you know how expensive my hair extensions are?!"

Jeyne gasped. "I _knew_ your hair would never look that thick, you fake whore!"

Sandor hung his head in the air, sighing miserably.

"Look here," he then inhaled a sharp audible breath, grabbing Sansa and Jeyne by their adjacent shoulders and forcing them to face each other, with him bowing in the middle so he can be at their eye level, "I will leave you two alone, and you will talk, cry, kiss, and hug it out like the good civil ladies you are." He looked at Sansa, smiling lovingly. "Alright, little bird?" She smiled back like he was the most charming creature in the goddamn Seven Kingdoms and nodded. He then turned to Jeyne and snarled at her like a monster straight out of a horror movie. " _Alright_ , crazy woman?"

"Go to hell, Hound." Jeyne said.

He closed in, his snarl intensifying and the horrible misconstruction of his burned face became hard to ignore. "I didn't hear you quite right."

"I–I'll see about it."

"No, no, I still can't hear you."

She gulped in fear, her lips quavering. " _Fine_ , goddamnit!"

"Good girl." He ruffled her hair like a dog and stood straight, satisfied.

She snatched his hand away, her teeth clinching. _Damn him!_

"If you lay _one_ finger on little bird," he warned when he reached the door of the room, addressing Jeyne with a dangerous tone of voice. "I'll drag you out of here by force."

With a soft click, the door was closed and their privacy was granted, making the atmosphere around the two once bestfriends suffocating. With a prolonged sigh, Sansa made her way to the bed again and sat, her head dipping down as she closed in to her knees and hugged her legs.

"You can rant all you want," Sansa murmured, "I'm all ears."

And rant she did.

It started with a classy introduction on the importance of morals, loyalty, and integrity, which the woman clearly lacked, then it headed toward a short summary of that morning's events that Jeyne did not forget to include every emotion she experienced, then off with some recollections of Jeyne's infamous history with Theon and on how Sansa knew every detail of it by heart, and ended with the questioning phase, from her questionable level of sanity, to _how_ she managed to come up with that scheme, and finally, on why she decided to stab her in the back like she did.

Jeyne settled, sweating after multiple walks around the room back and forth, raise of voice volume, and too many exclamations she did with her hands.

"Are you done?" she heard Sansa say, her voice not affected at all, like Jeyne didn't just tell her half of her life story in one go. "Or do you have more one sided stories to tell?"

Jeyne turned her head to her direction like an owl, her eyes turning into slits, and finding Sansa nonchalantly looking through her fabric collection. " _Excuse_ me?!"

"Now, I think I'm going with silk," Sansa pouted, holding two pieces in each hand, "But which one?"

"Definitely the left." Jeyne said, not believing that Sansa would ever pick a hideous piece as the one on the right, and upon realizing that she got distracted again, she shook her head and yelled. "Screw you and your silk, damn it!"

There was a knock on the door that immediately shut Jeyne up in case the giant decided to make an appearance again.

"Come in." Sansa said.

"My Lady," who came in perhaps wasn't exactly Sandor Clegane, but the man was a giant all the same; Wylis had reached a point where he had to lean down whenever he passed through the doorframes. "You and Lady Poole are requested downstairs immediately."

"Alright, we're coming in a sec." Sansa told him, "Don't hold the door."

Wylis' eyebrows closed in together, as if a strong horrifying wave of déjà vu just hit him. "T-thank you."

"Just tell me one thing," Jeyne breathed in heavily, returning to the track of the original subject. "How could you do this?!"

"Can you do me a favor, Jeyne?" Sansa stood up, making her way to her and like almost everyone else; her height was dominating compared to Jeyne's. "Stop looking at everything in _your_ point of view."

"Oh, yeah?" Jeyne threw her head back. "How should I look at it, then?"

"Nothing." She spat. "Nothing justifies what _you_ did."

"Are you for real? Should I tell you, and for the _thousandth_ time, what your brother did to me-"

"Stop being so fucking prejudiced!" Sansa finally spoke in a louder volume. " _Fine_! Theon did this and Theon did that and Theon hurt and messed you up! But what did _I_ ever do to you?!"

"Wha-"

"What did I do so you can just take off to bloody knows where without even explaining why?!" Sansa went on, "Three fucking _years,_ Jeyne! We were inseparable since we were in diapers! We planned our lives, our careers, and our _weddings_ together. You were with me when Joffery almost ruined my life! You were with me when I cried myself to sleep every night because of that scumbag Ramsey! But where were you when I finally grew up to be a stronger woman? Where were you when I met the love of my life? Where were you when I started _Little Bird_ and was the first female Stark to ever own a part of the North Company Lines? Huh?

"That's right, you went ahead, and didn't just stab me in the back, but right in my fucking _face_ when you joined Renly and Loras. And why? Because you were in pain? That's not what friends do, you fucking selfish _whore_! Friends share the pain together and cry in each other's arms! Not run away because they see that the other one is starting to find happiness! I wanted you there, every step of the way, and I don't fucking care if I spent it comforting you! You... you missed my fucking _engagement party_ , Jeyne! You wouldn't even have come here now if I didn't bloody _blackmail_ you into it!

"So tell me," Sansa finished, catching her breath, her eyes glassy with held back tears "How is it that _I'm_ the bad guy here?"

"Sansa, I..." Jeyne swallowed a stubborn bile in her throat and clipped her lips shut, because in every way possible, Sansa had succeeded in making her speechless.

 _She had changed so much_ , Jeyne thought, almost feeling proud at how the silly, self-centered girl she once knew was gone; _She went a long way. Without me_.

"Listen up, Jeyne," Sansa pointed an overpowered finger at her, knowing too well that she had the upper hand now. "You are going to close that autobiography book you're always reading, and meet up with the co-authors that write it with you, and perhaps you'll finally get a grip on reality and what's actually going on."

Jeyne nodded, fascinated by her choice of words. "That was hella poetic."

"Think about it, stupid." She pressed, annoyed. "From your bloody disastrous relationship with my brother, I know one thing: It's always a _misunderstanding_ , one that can be solved with one conversation but you are both so stubborn you make it impossible! The first time it took you about _ten years_ to solve your issues, how long will this one take?"

"How-" Jeyne's voice broke, "How can-" she used the base of her index finger to wipe her eyes at the first reminder of what he had told her. " _'I'm sorry but I can't do this. Have a great life'_ " she said in a deep, hallow voice under the affect of the tears, "How can I _misunderstand_ that note, Sansa?"

The redhead's arms came around her friend, pulling her to her chest on instinct. "Theon loves you, _all_ of us know that." She rubbed soothing circles on her back, "But unfortunately, he was born a bloody idiot."

"He doesn't love me." Jeyne shook her head, "Why would you do that to someone you love?"

"Why did you do what you did to him when you were teenagers?" Sansa countered, "That massive clusterfuck was initially _your_ fault, admit it."

"Yeah." She said, "But it was all because of that bitch Margery!"

"Shhhhh, easy there." Sansa continued comforting her. "You were all young and stupid. Once you admit your mistakes and flaws, no one can use them against you."

"Since when did you become Tyrion Lannister?"

"Fuck off." They both giggled, Sansa like a human being, and Jeyne like a drowning seal. "He really missed you... Theon, I mean."

"Sure," she scoffed, "Explains why he can't physically make it to the celebrity gossip news without a different woman attached to his name."

"Don't be a moron," Sansa groaned, "You know better than to believe those shams for gods' sake. He had gone celibate ever since you left."

Jeyne snorted, unless someone cut off his penis, she wouldn't believe that statement.

"Aww Jeyne," Sansa's calming hands adjusted the front of her coat. "I didn't know you actually wear my designs."

 _Oh, shit_. Jeyne thought.

Sansa's eyes narrowed when she ran her fingers on the sleeve zippers. "And from my... _men's_ collection?"

"Uh, about that," Jeyne's smile faltered, "This is not mine."

"Oh." her head pulled back to look at her up and down. " _Oh_."

Jeyne nodded uncomfortably; Sansa was no fool not to realize that she was wearing Theon's clothing, and how intimate that looked, and actually was.

"Jeyne," Sansa drew nearer, holding her tightly with a hand on her shoulder. "I don't want to sound mean, but I swear to the gods, if you brought a lover with you here, especially that Satin guy, it won't end nicely; Theon is still my brother."

"Huh?" Jeyne frowned. Perhaps she still was a fool after all _._ And what the hell was she talking about now? "Who's... _Satin_?"

"Your-" Sansa brows rode up when she observed her reaction. "Oh, never mind."

And strangely enough, she seemed so happy that she jumped to hug Jeyne again out of the blue.

"Much love." Jeyne muttered, returning the gesture wholeheartedly, and gathered enough courage to utter the words that she needed to say a long time ago. "I'm really, really, sorry for every stupid thing I did. I'm a coward, you know it, and _I_ know it."

"It's okay, just be my bridesmaid and you'll be forgiven."

"You got it."

"And you'll walk with Theon down the aisle before us."

"Don't push it."

Sansa laughed.

"Hey, Sans?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you please cancel the photoshoot or replace me with someone else?"

"No."

"Bitch."

* * *

"Girls! What took you so long?" Lady Catelyn called upon seeing them at the entrance of the yard, "Hurry up, they're almost here!"

Sansa and Jeyne looked at each other with an identical frown and stood in their places to welcome the guests that won't be the last to arrive from today til the wedding day.

So far it was only Sansa, her fiancé, Lord and Lady Stark, Rickon, and Theon who were present from the family.

Bran was studying in university at the Fist of the First Men, way beyond The Wall. Robb and his family were situated in Riverlands ever since their son was born. Jon and his Wildling fiancé mostly stayed at The Wall since they both landed jobs as members of the Night's Base. And Aria and her soulmate never left an address of where they were since she ran away from home, last she saw in the news, they were spotted somewhere at the Bay Of Dragons after travelling through the globe, and for the third time.

And since the Stark family was back at Winterfell, old traditions had to be practiced, and one of those was standing in the freezing cold like soldiers to welcome important guests.

The chill and cruel icy wind did not explain the flutters and shivers that consumed her entire body, and after a double take, she came to the realization that she was standing between her father, and her soulmate, out of everyone in the yard.

She breathed heavily.

Theon shuffled from one foot to another, not looking too comfortable with the arrangement either.

Jeyne tried to remain as far away from him as humanly possible, until her father decided to push her back to her actual spot after violating his personal space unjustifiably.

"Aren't you cold?"

Jeyne's knees weakened when Theon addressed her, and in genuine worry, too.

"No." she shook her head, "Thanks... for the coat, I mean."

"Don't mention it." He relaxed by her non hostile answer. "It looks-" he caught himself before saying what he initially planned to say, "It looks, uh, warm on you."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Thanks?"

Theon titled his head toward her, speaking in a voice that only she can hear. "So apparently, my parents are in on this too."

She stepped closer to hear him more clearly. "Come again?"

"The fucking-" Theon tried to stretch the distance between them, not quite liking the proximity, but he ended up bumping into Rickon next to him. "The _photoshoot,_ Jey _;_ my parents planned it with Sansa, and _gods_ know who else from the family is involved."

"Shit." Her jaw hanged. " _Shit_."

Everything slowly came to light. Sansa would've never been this sadistic to do such a thing, and the truth emerged. The entire Stark family was arranging couple therapy sessions using that project, very exclusively, only for the two of them, with the power of none else but the North Company Lines and its restricting contracts.

 _This is ridiculous_. She thought, wonderstruck.

"I'm sorry, Jey," she heard him say in the most earnest of ways, "I really tried, but-"

"It's okay." Jeyne found herself saying, "Don't beat yourself over it, we'll just do the bloody thing then."

When she looked up at him, she saw his eyes opening slowly, as if he was preparing himself for a breakdown from her part, but was met with calmness instead. "Are... are you sure?"

"It's work, Theon," Jeyne readjusted her collar to block the wind from her face. "We need to be professional about it."

And here it came. The bond. It was making a reappearance after all these years.

How did she know? It was because of the overwhelming sense of happiness that his soul was emitting, and how Jeyne's radar did not fail to catch it immediately.

She almost forgot how it felt like to see right through your soulmate, how transparent they become in front of your eyes, and for one moment, Jeyne knew what she will find, but looked at him anyway to make sure.

A smile. And a beautiful one it was. "Indeed, Jey."

"Yeah." She looked at her feet, thinking of a way to keep this going, because it simply felt good, and she wanted more of it. "Who's coming, by the way?"

Theon's face couldn't hide the surprise that came on him when he looked down at her, smirking a moment later. "Ned Junior and his harem."

Both Jeyne and Rickon, who caught what he said, snorted; Robb never escaped Theon's mockery, no matter how many years went by.

"Say, if Robb is Ned Junior," Jeyne went on, "And his son is called Robb Junior, what does that make of him?"

"Someone very tiny."

Jeyne lost it.

Theon watched her giggle like a little girl, his joy evident by her response, and Jeyne was literally feeding on how good this – whatever it was – felt.

 _Ah, look at that,_ she thought, _we are having an actual conversation since... the dawn of time_.

But however, the happiness was short lived, when Jeyne noticed that her father was looking at the two like a hawk.

"Kids," Voyan glanced at them with a thin smile, "How did the meeting go?"

Jeyne froze, her giggles dying out.

"There were some complications," Theon handled it like a champ, his smile intact. "But it's nothing to worry about."

"Good, good," her father said, eyeing him directly. "My lord, Jeyne is really precious to me, so I hope you'll treat her right."

He gave him a curt nod. "Of course."

"She's like a sister to you, don't forget that."

Theon's eyes went wide, and it was his turn to freeze like a statue at that last sentence. Jeyne was still in her spot, nothing short of a deer caught in the headlight.

Rickon laughed loudly at them, obviously hearing the exchange, and like the lifeless teenager he was, he nudged Sansa's side, and after a few whispers, both sister and brother were on a laughing spree.

Jeyne, by then, had transformed into a human tomato at the embarrassment.

Theon snapped his toward his siblings, talking loudly. "Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want." He eyed Sansa, "Mrs. Gigantor," and then he slapped Rickon behind the head, "And Mr. Mouthwash."

By that, the entire yard erupted into lighthearted giggles. Even the Lord and Lady of the house couldn't contain themselves.

"Gods, Theon," Lord Ned chuckled heavily, "You never run out of jests, do you?"

He grinned. " _Please_ , sire, you all love my jests."

 _'_ _Open the gates!'_ The watchman of the castle instructed at the sounds of hooves nearing by.

Everyone's eyes were on the entrance when a few minutes later, a carriage emerged from the gates, and again, Jeyne thought that no automobiles allowed in Winterfell was an irrational law.

With overused wheels and worn out horses, the carriage stopped right in front of them. The tiny door was opened, revealing two redheads and a tall, still petite and beautiful lady.

Robb hopped out, helping Jeyne Westerling out of the vehicle while she carried their son in her arms, whom had hair as auburn as his father's, aunt's, and grandmother's, if not brighter.

Robb jumped for his mother's embrace almost immediately, and while he and his wife were surely missed, it was clear by everyone's faces that the most beloved guest was the tiny Robb Junior, who was completely lost in the layers of fur his mother had wrapped him in.

Westerling made her way to the rest, while all gazes were darted toward the child in her arms, whom, after tuning his small head to look at his surroundings, settled on one person and Jeyne swore that his eyes started sparkling.

Junior struggled against his mother until she decided to release him and place the troublemaker on the floor. He fell over, his knees touching the snow while he struggled to stand up, and Jeyne and Sansa _'aww'_ ed at the same time at how adorable that was.

With small feet and short steps, Junior walked through the yard, with a massive audience watching him since the Winterfell castle hasn't received any babies for ages, and while Catelyn, Ned, and Sansa looked the most anticipating, Jeyne noticed that he was making his way to _her_ , and her heart fluttered.

She _loved_ children to death, especially ones at his age.

Jeyne smiled at him but she noticed that he wasn't exactly looking at her with all that happiness and grins, and a moment later, she sensed movements beside her.

When she inspected it, she saw Theon kneeling on the floor and opening his arms widely.

" _NUNCLEE_!" to her surprise, Junior shouted on top of his lungs, and started _running_ toward Theon in full speed.

He caught the boy and lifted him up, both man and child laughing with all their hearts at the reunion.

Jeyne opened her mouth in complete shock, and grunts and annoyed mutters spread all over the place like everyone were hating on the attention they didn't received.

"Expected." Catelyn sighed.

"Like always." Sansa pouted.

"What's so special about _him_ , anyway?" Rickon muttered in annoyance.

"How does he do that?" Robb snapped, pointing an angry gloved hand at them, "How does be bloody do that?!"

Theon didn't hesitate to rub the love on everyone's faces, "Junior, who's your favorite person in the world?"

"Nuncle!"

"Who's the most awesome man you know?"

"Nuncle!"

"Who's your father?"

"Meswer Wipped!"

Jeyne almost choked, was he actually trying to say, 'Mr. Whipped'?

That was the second time she laughed her heart out that day.

"Alright, enough!" Robb made his way to retrieve his son, no doubt mad at being called _Meswer Wipped_ on regular bases and not feeling too happy about it. "Give him back to me!"

Junior wrapped his arms around Theon's neck, clutching into him with extreme force.

"You're just _jealous,_ brother!" Theon laughed. "Isn't he, Junior?"

"Jewass broda!"

"Lord Theon was always like this," even Jeyne's father was chuckling beside her like everyone else, "Despite the reputation, he'll make a great father one day, don't you think?"

"Yeah." Jeyne answered as calmly as she can as to not make Voyan suspicious.

She observed the breathtaking scene next to her, and for one, very short moment, it wasn't Junior he was holding.

He was laughing and playing with a tiny boy, one with brown, curly hair like her own, and a pair of blue eyes identical to his, in a bubble of love and joy that looked so beautiful and natural Jeyne wanted it painted so she could never forget the image.

With a huff and quick shade of her head, she was back to reality, watching the Starks fights with Theon over who shall hold the youngest member of the family next, which Junior seemed to decline them all and cling to his 'Nuncle' for dear life.

Jeyne decided to focus on other things instead, things that were more important at the present time than any too-good-to-be-true imaginations that rummaged through her head.

She needed to see where that photoshoot was going, make sure it doesn't end in a catastrophe, and finally discover what actually went down three years ago. He was her co-author, and she needed to read his drafts before publishing her autobiography and deem it legitimate and true.

And find out whether it was truly his fault, or hers.

Or someone else's.


	24. Chapter 24

**Perfectly Prejudiced Chapter Three: Compliments**

Wordlessly impressed once again by Sansa's accomplishments, Jeyne tried her hardest to stop gaping all around the studio, admiring the quality of the currently held photoshoot; her friend had managed to singlehandedly transform just a small portion of the North Company Lines into a fashion empire, something that the company had never invested in before, and turn it into a successful business in just a couple of years.

"By _gods_ , Jeyne, stop fooling around and get into the hair and makeup room already!" Miranda literally sprinted toward her, holding a clipboard in her hand as a weapon and grabbing her by the elbow toward the said room. "By the time you get ready, we'll already be falling behind schedule!"

Not arguing the slightest, Jeyne allowed the Operation Manager to take her wherever she liked, trying not to add to her nerves already by the way she was barking commands at every person who passed by.

Miranda sat her down on a chair, forcing her to face a large dresser with a mirror presenting a very unflattering reflection. _I should've gotten more beauty sleep_ , Jeyne thought tiredly.

"Alright, let's catch up," Miranda flipped through the clipboard in a supersonic speed, "Today will be the easiest, since you are going to try on only five outfits because-"

"The rest of the photoshoot will be held outdoors, where the theme will start focusing on the actual tourney," Jeyne recited with ease. "The set will be a medieval melee and there will be horses and gardens. For today, we will do it in the inside studio, which is built as an interior of a castle, I will try on a nightgown, two evening gowns, and two ball gowns."

The woman behind her was checking the schedule with widened eyes.

"I've been into countless photoshoots, Miranda," Jeyne assured her, though, this was her first time actually participating in one, "So I did my homework, go help someone else."

"Roger that." Miranda blew a relieved breath, instantly turning before Jeyne called for her.

"Speaking of which, when is Theon coming?" she said it purely for work, and not, in anyway, because she was thinking about him nonstop since last night. "I hope being late isn't a habit of his."

"Late?" Miranda genuinely looked confused by that statement before realizing what had happened the meeting before. "Oh. Well, Theon is never late, actually, he took over all of Sansa's duties ever since the project started, he arrives first and leaves last every time."

"Theon?" Jeyne was gaping at her, every word sounding completely nonsensical. "Theon Greyjoy?"

"Aye, the meeting you were in was about the fifth one we had, though, at the time he was with Lord Stark discussing the budget. All of us knew that." Guilt slowly accompanied her steady voice, "He really didn't know that you were the model, Jeyne, Sansa forced me to keep it a secret."

"It's okay," Jeyne repeated, sighing, "It's work."

By then, she didn't notice Miranda's sly leave when she automatically went toward the sink and washed her hair, knowing the drill by heart and sinking into her seat after it, waiting for someone to start beautifying her and dwelling over various mysterious aspects of what was happening around her.

Lord Stark being a financer in the project was new information, yet, it was self explanatory since Theon had told her that his parents planned everything with Sansa. A new found respect emerged by the fact that Lord and Lady Stark had not told her father yet, which saved her from lots of problem regarding that; Voyan might be one of the people who helped raising her soulmate, but he was not oblivious to his degrading actions around women through his scandalous years.

But something different also perked her curiosity, if Theon had no knowledge of Jeyne being the leading model, which was obvious by his reactions so far, why was he putting in so much effort into this project? It wasn't the fact that she hasn't seen countless men working in the said business, but Theon certainly did not fit in that circle.

It wasn't his first time modeling, for sure, not ever since his looks were acknowledged by the public, but taking over Sansa's entire duties? That required endless hours of work? It was indeed eyebrow raising.

The woman who was currently working on combing her hair, spoke to her with a very cheery voice. "Now, I've definitely worked on this head before."

"Really?" Jeyne narrowed her eyes, examining her from the mirror reflection. A smile graced her lips when she finally recognized that pretty hairdresser slash makeup artist, "Doreah?"

"The one and only," the smile was returned when she opened the blow-dryer and talked in a louder voice. "Did I do your makeup at a wedding?"

"It was a graduation party, a few years back," Jeyne wasn't even slightly offended that she was forgotten, gods knew how many costumers this woman received every day. "You even offered to give me tips on how to seduce my soulmate."

"Oh, the one stuck with the playboy!" she was offended this time _,_ but Jeyne nodded anyway. "How did it go, by the way?"

It took Jeyne the amount of time required to finish the blow-drying before she decided that telling a complete stranger her darkest secrets, secrets that no other human being but herself and her soulmate knew, would not do any harm to anyone, if not even help her since she had established that confronting Theon was important before leaving Winterfell. The more a tale is told, the more understandable it became.

"Well, what can I say?" Jeyne started, "He did not even give me one spoken compliment."

"That is one blind bastard." Doreah seemed completely shocked as she plugged in the hair straightener. "You looked like a _goddess_ that night. I made sure of it!"

"I said _'spoken'_ , my friend," Jeyne smirked like she was telling her some sort of accomplishment, "He left a note at my door that said: ' _Someone should tell the Gods_ , _old and new_ , _that tonight the heaven was missing an angel.'"_

"Holy shit." Doreah's jaw hanged, "That's by far the sweetest fucking thing I've ever heard!"

"Aye, that makes the both of us." Jeyne went on. "After that night our relationship slightly improved, of course, it didn't go back the way it was, but he was trying."

Doreah nodded when she separated chunks of her hair by clips.

"It did not really have a happy ending, though," her smile vanished as she recalled the following events. "Eventually I had to go back to Winterfell because I still had college; I used to live alone in the entire castle since everyone was in King's Landing at the time. Me and him had a problem with talking... we always have, and when we couldn't see each other, the distance only grew.

"I fell sick one day; it was a very nasty stomach infection and the castle's servant had to eventually bring in the maester. I don't know how to explain it; he _sensed_ that something wasn't right and after one phone call, it took him until the morning before he drove all the way to Winterfell and entered my chambers like a madman.

"He must've thought I was dying or something by how scared he looked. He took care of me that night like no one else ever had, didn't even let one servant enter the room. "

"Please tell me that he banged you," Doreah urged, "And multiple times. Please?"

"No." Jeyne chuckled dryly, "We didn't... have sex, no. I think he was trying to be a gentleman and not make any advances while I was sick and vulnerable. Though, I knew he was struggling the whole time to control himself. He told me the sweetest things you can imagine, and he kissed me, repeatedly, all night, he kissed me so many times and so long I couldn't feel my face anymore. He apologized for what he did and promised that he'll try not to screw up again, that he'll show me how important I was to him, _'You are mine, Jey'_ , he kept saying, and then he kissed me some more. I think it was the happiest day of my life."

Doreah was already done with her hair. "Now woman, I think I'm starting to want him for myself."

"You wouldn't be so keen after hearing what happened next." Jeyne looked at herself, wondering why she was so unworthy. "I woke the next morning with a fucking retarded smile on my face, only to find him _gone_. The servant said that he took off at dawn and didn't say why. He left one note, though, which wasn't as charming as the previous one. _'I'm sorry, but I can't do this. Have a great life'_ it said. So he escaped. Just like that."

It took the poor Doreah half an hour of redoing her makeup about three times before Jeyne's tears stopped pouring out uncontrollably.

* * *

She emerged from the dressing room, almost needing CPR by how her outfit was suffocating her. Sansa's idea of designing a "Nightgown" apparently had nothing to do with comfort.

The collection, however, wasn't commercial and each outfit was entirely designed for artistic purposes, so Jeyne couldn't complain on how non-wearable the washy white and beige gown was, starting with a length that had an unreasonable chunk of the skirt gliding on the floor, loose straps that left her shoulders and arms bare, and a heart shaped neckline lowered to a dangerous level, showing way too much cleavage that even her long straight hair couldn't hide. Jeyne knew that she had a very slim waist, but that corset that was secured to the most extreme was punishingly tight around her.

 _Those poor models_. Jeyne finally realized her sins when she faced the restriction of movement and exposure, first handedly.

" _Ahh_ , now this is a sight for sore eyes," an unsettling voice came from behind her, causing a chill to creep down her spine instantly, "I shall learn to never question Miss Stark's choices ever again."

With a gulp, Jeyne turned to see the man who was complimenting her in the creepiest tone humanly possible. "Hello to you too, Mr. Baelish."

Petyr smiled, his eyes clearly not on hers, or anything higher than her neck. "A true queen of Love and Beauty."

"Thanks." She answered politely, crossing her arms loosely around her chest to keep as much dignity as she can.

"Petyr!" a loud call almost made her jump, from someone she was too familiar with, who didn't even need to use such a high volume by how close he was to them. "The photographer has some questions for you."

Petyr slowly detached his eyes from Jeyne's chest to answer. "I see, I'll be there shortly-"

"He has _very_ urgent questions." Theon insisted, "Now leave Jeyne alone and go do your work, chop-chop."

Petyr looked at her with the fakest smile ever, "My Queen." He bowed in a dramatic manner, facing Theon and doing the same movement to keep the act, "My lo-"

"Boss." Theon cut him off, not enjoying his theatrics. "Your boss."

An eye roll and a _'Be ready in five'_ statement later, the man was gone, allowing Jeyne to finally relax.

"This guy is one perverted bastard, and coming from _me_ , that actually says something," Theon was saying, standing so close that Jeyne could sense the warmth of him behind her. "If he did anything inappropriate to you-"

He stopped talking the moment she turned to face him and regretted it instantly, he was dressed in a style that _had_ to be in fashion sooner or later, heck, she'll manufacture those clothes by herself because it simply fit him more than anything she had seen on him before. He was wearing a tunic with an asymmetric cut, like a kimono, with an armless outer coat and peaked shoulder cuffs, fitting over a longer undercoat with fitting sleeves with various gray shades, and a silver sash draped on his shoulder. A pair of boots secured themselves on the end of his black and slightly tight trousers.

 _Gods have mercy_. She smiled, her inner fashionista slash fangirl squealing in delight. "You look great."

"Excuse me." There were some hurried footsteps taking place and when she looked up, he had already disappeared from her sight.

 _What the hell happened_ , she thought, completely confused. _At least return the compliment, asshole._

It turned out that in fact, they weren't ready _in five_ , because it took his majesty about half an hour of disappearance before he decided to come back. That time was more than enough for Jeyne to pose for all of her separate shots; the photographer was very impressed by how she exactly knew what he wanted with each request, part of it was because again, it was not her first photoshoot, and she had came to memorize every single tactic the models used in front of her.

Though, she had to admit that there were some failures here and there, especially when Baelish eyed her like laser.

"Mr. Greyjoy," the photographer turned to Theon when he was finally spotted, "Over here, please."

Taking his time to settle right in front of his soulmate, but not as much as to give her a glance, Theon looked at the man, and she did the same, waiting for further instructions.

"Alright, this is your wedding night." the man started explaining the atmosphere, " _He_ is the man that won a tourney for you, fell in love with you at first sight, and put the crown of flowers on your head. _She_ is the woman of your dreams, everything you ever wished for, and she finally became yours. I want happiness, I want admiration, and I want love."

Theon was grinning at him. "Don't we all?"

The entire crew, who were incredibly serious and tense a second ago, were now laughing, forcing Jeyne to roll her eyes.

"Indeed." With a toothy smile and a better mood, the photographer returned to his spot behind the camera. "Whenever you're ready."

It almost seemed like eternity until they finally locked gazes, every movement in slow motion inside Jeyne's head. Those blue eyes weren't as pale anymore, now with darkened irises, almost completely black in the center and welding a large amount of composure, entering with a free pass into her soul and shaking it by his stare alone. She had no idea what she was doing and how her posture looked anymore, her mind was blank and only focusing on how good that outfit made him look, as if the man wasn't already handsome enough, shimmering, rugged, and dashing were added to the list.

It was incomprehensible.

"Wow." The man behind the lenses said, "You're doing great."

"Where were you?" Jeyne whispered suddenly.

He smiled, a few shots taken by that change of expression. "I was taking a call."

"You know I can tell when you lie, right?"

"I was doing... things."

"Right." She struggled to keep her face looking pleasant under the multiple flashes striking her way every second.

"Jey?" Theon instantly caught her change of mood, allowing his face to fall out of proportion for just one second. "Have I offended you or something?"

"Do you have a problem with compliments or something?" she shot back, a question she wanted to ask a decade ago, causing the irritation and anger to collect within her for so very long, along with other feelings that came as a package whenever he was involved.

"What?" his eyebrows furrowed in, "Jey-"

"I want you two to relax some more." The man instructed, cutting them off.

The whole conversation after that was a very strange one, they were both smiling lovingly and showing affection to the camera, while in reality, and exactly opposite to their plastic expressions, they were arguing with low whispers, only the two of them being able to feel the other's emotion exactly as it was.

It was almost poetic.

"Look, Jey," Theon said, "I'm _me_ , alright? Everything I say is vulgar and utterly stupid. I don't _know_ how to give you a compliment."

"You didn't seem to have a problem writing it down at that party, or maybe, that wasn't you?"

"What? _Of course_ it was me! But I swear to god, it took me like a whole _week_ of scribbling to get it right!"

"It's not as hard as you make it seem."

"You don't understand, the moment I let my tongue loose, shit always happens, especially around you."

" _Fine_ then."

"Jey?"

"I said it's fine."

" _Jey_."

"What?!"

"You look like you just came out of one of my fantasies."

Her face dropped as she gulped. "T-that wasn't so bad."

"Trust me; you don't want to know what kind of fantasies they are."

She shook her head, trying to hide her playful smile.

"Alright," the photographer demanded their attention, "Why don't you grab her chin?"

Wildfire. That was the only word she could define his touch with, as slight and soft it was, the reaction of her skin just by making contact with his thumb and index finger was overwhelming, hitting every nerve and submerging into the very pit of her guts.

She watched him through her lashes, wondering just how long will he take this time, charming her with whatever he can, then leave her with nothing again, though, she wished depression, loneliness, and melancholy were considered 'nothing'.

"Miss Poole," the man called again, "Try to look more shy."

The longer he kept touching her, the warmer she felt with every passing millisecond, the heat spread everywhere, forcing every single cell to almost beg for more attention, the attention that her body was created to receive, not to be kept from.

 _'_ _You're the only one.'_

' _Because I'm your fucking soulmate, damn it!_ '

 _'_ _Jey, what's wrong? Look at me.'_

 _'_ _You're mine, Jey.'_

 _'_ _Hell is a pretty warm place.'_

Jeyne knew by then that her face was a complete mess of conflicting expressions but damn it to the gods, she couldn't help it, not when he had his hands on her; Theon brought longing and fear with his touch, not shyness, she couldn't fake that.

"Jey?"

She blinked, returning to the reality, and seeing a glimpse of a smirk before Theon closed in, bringing his mouth against her ear.

"I was jerking off." He whispered, voice heavy and rougher than she'd ever heard. "To you."

The deep blush that covered her cheeks must have been priceless, especially with the consecutive quick flashes and the photographer yelling _'Beautiful shot!'._

Jeyne suddenly realized in horror that she, in fact, had unleashed a monster, and those compliments that she had once cried over were going to be the death of her very soon.

* * *

A very evil creature, with long red hair glowing against the light of her laptop screen, cursed her cruel diet all over again when she munched into the tasteless piece of carrot on the plate laid on the nightstand. Her stomach growling in neglect, she continued with her mission to browse through the endless choices of boutonnieres that she would eventually pick one from and force the man snoring beside her to put it on, one way or another.

Her phone chirped, slightly putting her soulmate's body on alarm as his arm reached aside to wrap around her, and after closing the computer and putting it away, she let him pull her into his chest as she inspected the message she just received.

 **Miranda O.M.:** The plan is set in motion.

Clicking on the attached photo that came with the message, she took her time to admire how incredible her designs looked and how alive they had become with the setting. Feeling satisfied, she finally allowed herself to focus on the people wearing them; her adopted brother and bestfriend, who were looking at each other with a sexual tension so robust that it could've brought the building down.

Sansa smiled wickedly, forwarding the message to every Stark she knew.


	25. Chapter 25

**Perfectly Prejudiced Chapter Four: A Bizarre Adventure**

 _Two Weeks Later_

Typing aggressively on her keyboard, it took Jeyne lots of focus until she was in the right mind to resume creating the introduction of the new project. In no time, she had dived into a whole different dimension, completely blocking out the noises covering the medium of the dressing room around her.

"It looks good on her, indeed, but it'll make _me_ look fat."

"Fat?! You're practically the human adaptation of an anorexia case!"

 _'_ _The inevitable is finally happening.'_ Jeyne typed, _'That is, the new form of casualness joining forces with allure and femininity.'_

"Sans, it's pretty alright, but for all the gods' sakes, I feel like I'm not leaving shit for the imagination."

"You're just being insecure!"

 _'_ _It will be yours for the taking, thanks to the soon-to-be launched brand of Fleur Tressure'_

"Oh boy, no way in any hell you'll force me to put this on."

"What is it this time?!"

"I'll be caught dead wearing this offending... pink color."

"It's called _peach_!"

 _'_ _Inspired by the dazzling collection of the newest Victoria's Secret lingerie line, Fleur Tressure had decided to create one of its own.'_

"Someone looks very interested."

"Is she snoring?"

"Arya!"

 _'_ _There has to be something missing, and we'll fill in that void when it comes to this area of clothing.'_

"I actually like this one."

"What do you think?"

"I might as well dress as a septa."

"Why?!"

"A' lil bit too innocent for my taste."

"Ugh!"

 _'_ _What was missing, we had concluded, was the blend with the rest of the women's clothes.'_ That did not even make any fucking sense, Jeyne groaned, resetting that last sentence and starting over. _'What was missing-'_

She blinked, staring at her lap and realizing that the screen had vanished and the keyboard was no longer under her fingers.

"How about you contribute to this just a little bit?!" Sansa came into her line of sight, baring her teeth. "Does this look like a work office to you?!"

Jeyne watched in horror as Sansa closed the laptop and threw it on the other coach with no consideration. _I didn't even save it_ , she almost cried with actual sadness.

"Those Baratheons are a pair of assholes," Sansa grumbled, "Popping a new project out of thin air when they know that you're here."

"Sansa," Princess Myrcella gasped, "Don't talk about my uncle like that!"

"Nor my brother." Margery warned.

"It's bloody obvious that they're doing this just to ruin my wedding!"

"Of course," Jeyne rolled her eyes to the back of her head, "Because everything revolves around you and the wedding."

"Precisely." Sansa answered without question, motioning toward the three dresses that were laid on the table. "We agreed on these so far, now be the fabulous fashion designer that you claim you are and give us a good opinion."

She eyed the first beige dress, and instantly rejecting it since any color that was close to white was forbidden when it came to bridesmaid outfits, not mentioning how tight and unflattering it would look on most of them.

The next one seemed something a belly dancer would wear, which will, again, prove more distracting than complementing next to the wedding dress.

Then came the said peachy colored short dress, which was Jeyne's favorite because of the laces, a detail she always loved in any outfit, but that color was also close to white and was immediately out of the picture.

And last but not least, with a turtle neck and long sleeves, the violet silk gown was next, and she didn't even bother to give it another look.

"I see a pattern." Jeyne shook her head with a sigh, plucking out the root of the problem. "Sansa, these all look like things you would wear, that look good on _you_ , not the rest of us."

A snake snorted in the background. "Says the _Queen of Love and Beauty_. You're being too modest, aren't you?"

"Do me a favor, Marg," Jeyne said, not bothering look at Margery behind her. "Just keep your poisonous, low-key spiteful compliments to yourself."

"Cut it off, you two." Sansa barked, then turned her attention to the woman who was in a deep slumber and instantly throwing a magazine at her like a sniper. "And you, _wake up_!"

Jeyne took her time to finally look at all the familiar faces sitting around the room, all females, who were present for Sansa's bridesmaids dress fitting after arriving individually within the last two weeks. The only ones who actually looked remotely interested were Myrcella and Miranda, who would pass for the role of bridesmaids with flying colors.

The rest however, didn't look as excited to be there, staring from Jeyne Westerling, who really seemed like she came along because it was an obligation, to Ygritte, who kept looking around and snarling at everything as if she was in a strange planet, to Margery, the snake that couldn't stop glaring at Jeyne's direction, which, mind you, was returned more hatefully, and finally, the most uninterested of all, the youngest Lady Stark.

"Seven hells!" Arya rubbed her sore forehead after the attack, "What's wrong with you?!"

"Me?! You are the one who's been _sleeping_ since the fitting started!"

"And you still don't seem to get the hint already." Arya shot back, finally sitting up. "I _told_ you I don't want to be one of your fucking bridesmaids."

"You're my only _sister_!" Sansa replied, incredulous. "It comes with the job description!"

"Then I quit this alleged godforsaken job." Arya slumped against the coach, grabbing her now very long hair by a fist and pushing it to the back so she can sit more comfortably. "I just want to get the hell out of here-"

"And go back to Mag," Margery fluttered her lashes in a mocking manner. "How could I even be away from him for just a _few_ hours?"

"Do I sense undeniable jealousy?" Arya deadpanned. "Or just pure bitchiness?"

Jeyne smirked. "Probably both."

Margery shot both of them a dirty look. "Your ignorance is remarkable."

"Your stupidity, however, is not." Jeyne copied her irritating voice, immediately high-fiving Arya next to her.

"Can you all focus here?!" Sansa snapped, "We need to agree on a dress before the day is over!"

"No way in hell I'm spending an entire day on this crap," Arya told her, completely serious. "I've got better things to do."

"Gods," Sansa stomped her foot against the floor, exactly like a child. "I can't believe you're choosing Mag over me!"

"Please, I'll choose _anyone_ over you." Arya leaned back, showing off her beautifully sculptured biceps, nothing short for a highly paid kickboxing trainer. "And I was going to spend time with Jon, to hell with that bullheaded piece of shit. "

Sansa returned the evil look with one of her own. "Did he finally cheat?"

"Fuck off!" she used her notorious comeback. "And no, we had a fight."

The entire room snickered.

" _What_?!"

"Arya," Miranda said, very amused, "Was there a specific point in time, since eternity, that you weren't fighting?"

"You two must be surviving solely on angry sex." Ygritte noted.

"Lots of it." Sansa added, wrinkling her nose. "Seriously? Could you just tone it down at night? Your chambers are right next to mine!"

"So I have a great sex life," Arya put two hands in the air, scuffing, "Fucking sue me for it."

"Not as great as you think." Ygritte winked.

Arya snapped her head toward her with a piercing gaze. "Is that a challenge?"

"Aye, and one you can't win."

"Try beating twice a day on normal days."

"Try beating four."

"You're so full of shit, Gritte."

Westerling cocked her head to the side. "I suddenly feel very lacking."

"I suddenly feel like a pedophile." Margery frowned.

"You guys are disgusting!" Sansa exclaimed.

Jeyne sighed, bringing out her sketchbook with one purpose, which was to speed things up and go back to her work as soon as possible.

"Sansa, I'm sorry honey, but these won't work." She said honestly, grabbing a pencil from her purse. "Tell you what, leave the bridesmaid dress business to me, alright?"

"What do you suggest?" luckily, Sansa didn't seem offended by what she said, but actually hopeful.

"Let's see," her pencil connected with the surface of the paper, and Jeyne's hand started drawing on its own by instinct, finishing the shape of the silhouette in less than five seconds. "I liked the design of the third dress, but let's alter it a bit."

By then Sansa was stationed behind her, watching her draw an overall very simple short dress with a puffy skirt, sleeveless, and with a heart shaped neckline that left everything above it bare.

"I loved the laces, but let's add some more." She resumed sketching the lacy top that covered everything from the collarbone, the side of the shoulders, and halfway down the arms until they reached the elbows with a needlerun pattern. "It's very simple, chique, and it will really fit with the design of the wedding dress."

"I love it," Sansa said, although, she wasn't smiling. "But what will you do with this? We only have a week left, Jeyne."

"You underestimate me, sweetheart." She smiled wickedly, "Don't worry about it. Though, I'm still not sure which color of fabric we shall use."

"Black." Arya instantly said.

"Arya, why don't you shut the fu-"

"Actually, horseface might be right." Jeyne narrowed her eyes at the drawing, completely seeing it alive with an ashy color, "And with a white strap, it'll reach perfection."

She drew the strap around the waist of her model, but as a very thin one and decided to turn it into a braid design, tied at one hip with the ends of it loose along the length of the dress. Her eyebrows rose, realizing that it actually looked pretty fantastic.

When Jeyne turned the sketchbook for everyone to see, she was proud to watch the nods and smiles directed at her design.

"Not bad." Arya shrugged, "But seriously, Sansa, why don't you think outside of the box? I suggest we don't wear dresses in the first place and just go with-"

"Shut the fuck up, Arya!"

* * *

She whined like an overly abused puppy after a beating that went against animal rights, feeling her entire body enter a state of paralyses, her muscles aching from almost forty eight consecutive hours of work.

If she thought that being the star of a photoshoot along with a walking sex god who kept teasing her every waking minute of the day, for an entire week, was bad, then she should've really considered the piles and piles of work that Renly and Loras were hiding from her, and upon inspection, she found out that being away for just a few days had almost put the company into absolute chaos.

Her partners were trying too hard not to let her know and to enjoy her "family vacation" but one call to her secretary revealed all the underlying madness that was happening when she was away.

Their financers who were supporting the upcoming lingerie collection that Jeyne had wanted to start a long time ago had demanded a presentation, which was always a part of her job and not anyone else's, and naturally, it put the whole company in a very sticky situation until she found out and went on a rampage.

Jeyne didn't care how far away and detached she was at the time, no way in hell anyone would distract her from all the effort that she had put into the whole thing.

But finding time between being Sansa's bridesmaid, taking care of Sansa's work along with Theon, keeping an eye on the campaign for the Queen of Love and Beauty, making dresses for seven women including herself, _and_ starting the lingerie line, turned into an utter physical and mental exhaustion in less than a week.

She covered her eyes with the crook of her elbow, relishing the victorious sensation after sending a completed presentation for Fleur Tressure, thus slowing down the work load on her, and sank against the coach, knowing that Sansa would've never bothered to buy such a comfortable piece of furniture if she didn't sleep on it herself.

Sansa's office in the company became her second home since her visit to Winterfell, after Robb's arrival, the guests just kept coming and coming until all scales were broken to pieces, Jeyne couldn't think of one royal and ancient house that hasn't graced the castle at this point, and the wedding was due to a whole week still. She was afraid shitless of what was coming next so she had to flee whenever she could.

All the Starks and Tulleys and their spouses and their soulmates and their children and their relatives... holy gods, every human being she knew or heard of were there by now, not mentioning the army of paparazzi that took no rest, who actually camped outside the castle and attacked every living specimen who came and went, mostly for the Stark children, but a huge chunk present for Gendry Waters alone since he practically became a sensation after the first BB5 album was released two years ago.

Jeyne swam into the cloud of nothingness until random shapes covered her vision, notifying her that she was in the earliest stages of sleep and she prayed that it could come soon. Having fought with insomnia for endless days now, she knew that she needed to put that mind of hers in rest or else her brain cells were at risk of dying out sooner or later.

Jeyne still remembered in clear vision every single detail of every single shoot she had to endure with Theon, or in better words, relish and pretend it was real; just two lovers staring and touching each other, spreading vibes of romance into the air around them.

She relived the final stage a week ago when Jeyne finally put on the wedding dress, the most beautiful piece that Sansa had ever made, or was it just the idea of it that was so beautiful? Or the way he kept staring at her with an untamed smile the whole time, even when he was repeatedly asked to tone it down?

Just like the silly imaginative woman she was, Jeyne couldn't help but pretend that it was all real, just for a few moments. She knew that look that was always cast her way, capturing her in an invisible net that only the two of them can see, not only when she was in costume, but every time Jeyne was at his range of vision.

That hunger, that lust, and that longing that no doubt was a replica of her own, itching to touch and feel that wildfire again whenever they were in contact, and not just for show, not just for a few rare moments.

Only if she could count the many times, when the staring became too much to handle physically, how he seemed like he was a hair away from just grabbing her and taking her away, from kissing her until she couldn't function anymore.

Jeyne felt the ghost of fingertips caressing her cheek in such a tender manner she couldn't have felt if not for the wildfire striking into her, too incomprehensible, too warm, like a flame of desire that burned everything that touched its way with ecstasy.

With shadowy movements, a thumb began to stroke her chin, moving to fondle her bottom lip in sensual touches. Jeyne's mouth opened, her tongue licking on the head until she found herself sucking on it, eager to have a taste of him.

Heavy breathing rang in Jeyne's ears, hot tickles of condensation forming on the side of her neck from a mouth hovering over her skin, the tiniest moan escaped from her throat when the thumb slipped away, but was instantly replaced with a pair of rough lips that covered her own, stopping the airway, unleashing a forceful tongue to claim the inside of her mouth as his own, and kissing the living daylight of her.

She gasped, sitting up in a haste and putting an instant hand on her lips, and not finding a culprit in sight as to what the hell just happened.

 _Get your shit together,_ Jeyne scolded herself, _I'm pretty sure that having wet dreams in your office is nowhere near appropriate, or healthy even._

Especially when the star of your fantasy is taboo.

For now, or forever, who the hell even knew?

She heard shuffling and Jeyne yelped, positioning herself on the end of the coach and facing the desk, which seemed to be the source of where that sound was coming from.

"Oh, sorry." The star of her fantasy said, directing the flashlight at her direction and making her wince. "Did I wake you up?"

"Theon," Jeyne reached for her phone and unlocked it, speaking to her soulmate in pure irritation, "What the bloody hell are you doing? Sneaking in Sansa's office at-" she stared at the clock that read 02:33 a.m, "This _ungodly_ hour?!"

"Don't mind me, I just left something here." He answered nonchalantly, "Continue your nap."

"You just _magically_ forgot something inside of Sansa's _locked_ drawers?" she called on his bullshit, slowly standing up, "What are you up to?"

"Nothing." He said quietly then saw the special look she gave him and sighed, directing the flashlight straight at her again, almost blinding her. "Okay, I'm looking for a bobby pin, alright?"

Jeyne crossed her arms around her chest, "You could've just asked me."

"You don't have one on."

"So what?" she double checked the layers of her hair, confirming his theory. "Are you finally getting influenced by Doreah to do a makeover?"

"Please." He snorted, "I'm already too hot for my own damn good; the world can't handle a makeover."

 _Neither can I_ , she wanted to say, but instead nodded her chin at the edge of the table. "There are some in the pen holder."

After lots of fondling and unnecessary noises, Theon yelled _'Aha!'_ too loudly, holding two pins like it was a sought for treasure. "Dear Jey, you're my savior."

For some reason, neither the tone of his voice nor the vibe she received told her that he was in any way joking when he said that, but she brushed it off, focusing at the situation at hand. "Alright, now, what in _god's name_ are you trying to do?"

He put an index finger on his lips, the lips that were on hers just a few minutes ago, but in an entirely alternative world. "It's a secret."

 _To hell with your goddamn secret_. With clinched teeth, she walked after him when Theon decided to sneak out, his flashlight still in hand since pretty much every single employee was in their homes and under warm covers already, leaving the hallways and rooms dim.

"Where the hell are you going?" she whispered, trying to keep up with his pace.

"You'll see."

Jeyne was surprised that he didn't even seem to mind her following him during this bizarre late night adventure that he seemed to have, and judging by his movements, accurate and not playful, she knew it was one hell of a planned, thought over adventure.

Five minutes later, Jeyne was cursing all the gods that ever existed, and taking the most impactful mental note to _not_ ever be caught in the same elevator as her soulmate, which proved a stressful workout even when they were standing at each of the ends and not moving an inch.

The sexual tension, his now powerful scent that was almost suffocating, those godforsaken eyes that bore into her, and that thoughtful, mysterious, and shaking gaze that was directed at her the whole time could've equaled a thousand words, words that she would kill to decipher.

" _What_?!" she snapped at him, finally making him break the suspenseful eye contact.

He shrugged, the shape of a wicked smirk evident on his turned face.

Reaching the highest floor, the door finally slid open, allowing some non compressed air to enter her lungs and enabling her to breathe naturally. She raised both of her eyebrows, wondering what the hell they were doing at Lord Stark's quarters of the building.

By the time she regained her focus, Theon had already snuck his way to the front of his father's office, which was naturally closed after the working hours, being the most important area of the company, and she watched in absolute incredulousness as he brought the pin and actually started to try and _unlock the_ _door_.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Jeyne whispered a yell, appearing right behind him, "What the _fuck_ are you doing?"

"Trying to break into the office." He answered like it was the most casual thing ever.

" _Why_?!" she couldn't possibly remain calm anymore, "Theon, there are cameras here!"

"Of course I know," he narrowed his eyes, concentrating on what he was doing. "I told Desmond that I heard noises and that was enough to send him running to the basement and distract him for another half an hour."

"What if he checked the footage when he came back?!"

"Come on, that old security guard is nowhere near as dedicated as you make him seem." He explained, "Relax, I wouldn't have planned this for the past month if I didn't plot every move."

"Past _month_?!" her jaw hanged. So he never helped Sansa with Little Bird and hung around the company all this time just for innocent, work related purposes. _I called it. I fucking called it._ "What are you going to do? Steal money or something?"

"Jey, sweetheart, I don't want to brag but I'm one of the richest men alive." He smiled thinly, slightly offended by the accusation. "You'll just see soon enough, alright?"

Jeyne watched him work, in which, as far as it was going, he was failing in his pick locking attempt miserably, and all what she could think of was how he just called her _sweetheart_ for the first time ever.

While trying to commit a crime, how romantic.

"Why are you even letting me see this?" she asked, completely curious as to how laid back he seemed by her presence. "A man in his right mind wouldn't want any witnesses."

"The thing is," he stopped his work for a few moments, "I trust you."

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Jeyne muttered, knowing that with one more heartwarming phrase, she was possibly going to start swooning in the spot.

"Of course I do, baby," he winked at her, "All these YouTube tutorials would not be in vain."

Jeyne looked elsewhere, "Can you please stop with the endearments?"

"Oh yes." He said it with so much bitterness that Jeyne almost tasted it in her own mouth. "How can I even _think_ of getting comfortable with my own soulmate? What a sin I have just committed!"

 _And whose fault is it that it turned out this way? Bloody fucking hypocrite!_

"I'm sorry." He said all of a sudden. "That was such a fucked up thing to say. Forget it."

She grumbled, searching through the back pocket of her jeans and pulling the chain of keys that was given to her. "Here."

He glared at it hatefully, which he knew was a remark on how shitty his skills were. "Are those Sansa's keys?"

"Yep." She dangled them in her hand but he refused to take, so with a sigh, she pushed his mess away and grabbed the biggest key and shoved it into the keyhole.

"Don't be ridiculous, why would Sansa even have-" then the knob was turned, making him scowl. " _Of course_ she had father's fucking office key."

He entered the room like it was an oasis, leaving the bobby pins for her to pick up, only then did she realize that it was very, _very_ strange that he knew she didn't have one on, even in the darkness of Sansa's room, and with that look he kept giving her all the way here, and that smirk... "Theon?!"

"Yeah?" he was busy bringing a box out from gods knew where, putting it at Lord Stark's table for further inspection.

"Did you- Did you-" she gulped, "Did you _kiss me_?"

Theon lifted his head, the box completely forgotten as panic demonstrated itself on him. "Oh, shit."

" _Did_ you?"

"I thought you were asleep."

"You don't even deny it?!" she threw the pins at his direction, feeling like a complete idiot.

"On my defense," he held his index finger in the air, "You should've seen the way you looked at that moment. I swear to the Drowned God, Jey, you were lying there and practically screaming _'Theon kiss me. Do it Theon'_."

"Unbelievable!" she strode his way angrily, "You can't just fucking do that!"

He was already backing away, feeling her anger in strong dozes. "Listen, I was just going to cup your cheek and leave but then, _for fuck sake_ , you started sucking-"

"Shut up!" Jeyne was so flustered and humiliated she wanted to just die right then and there, "I wasn't even-"

A thump startled the both of them, and when she looked, Jeyne saw the box opened on the floor with a pile of papers spread everywhere around it.

Theon knelt down next to them immediately, pulling them out and examining each paper like his life depended on it.

Jeyne was more than just curious at this point, feeling how desperate he was becoming especially when he got his hands on one legal document that oozed _'Top Secret'_.

"What is this, Theon?" she asked, anxious.

"A while ago I ran into a random article that caught my interest, it was about an event that I've never heard of, and strangely enough, it was centered on an incident that happened in the North Company Lines." Theon's voice was low, shaking with anger, the most alien emotion that someone like him could ever be consumed with. "Exactly sixteen years ago."

Jeyne did not catch a hint, did not know what that date represented, all she knew was after the next few words, the temperature around the room dropped a couple of degrees.

She listened as he read every word out loud, waited til everything sunk in, for her, or for him, Jeyne had no idea, she just found herself desperately wishing that she wasn't there.

She wished she wasn't there when he finished and looked at her with the most devastating mixture of emotions Jeyne had ever witnessed and felt her whole life.


	26. Chapter 26

**Perfectly Prejudiced Chapter Five: Pain**

 _'_ _The North Bridge accident was a failure of a_ _cast-iron_ _bridge at_ _the_ _Twin Companies, two adjacent branches of the North Company Lines near Pyke_ _in the Iron Islands on 26 September 2006. As the first ever individual was passing over the bridge from the first building to the opposite, the structure failed suddenly, causing the derailment of the majority of the bridge. The accident ended with one causality, and it was a warning of the fundamental weakness of many such new projects that would've been used to connect two buildings together. Investigations were due, and when examined by a team of professional architectures, one of the cast iron girders of the bridge was found to have fractured, unusually, near to one of the abutments rather than at the centre of the beam, which marked as an almost fatal error by the architecture team.'_

A memory made an appearance in the back of Jeyne's mind after she finished reading, one from the good old days when she and her soulmate were the closest beings to each other.

Theon always had those moods that laced the air around him with sorrow and void, those moods when he would isolate himself from the world, and at the time, Jeyne had developed a hero complex whenever it came to him, trying her hardest, using any method she knew of to lift his spirits, and sometimes only her presence seemed to be enough, other times, he would open up to her about his catastrophic childhood that no one envied, or even knew of, not any of the Stark children at least.

 _"_ _Did you ever wonder, Jey," he once asked, his back against their pine tree and his eyes getting paler and paler with each word. "Why a family with five children adopted a stranger like me all of a sudden?"_

 _Her thirteen year old self just shook her head_.

 _"_ _Guilt." Was his explanation. "My father fell off a bridge by accident and died, but sometimes they look at me like they're the ones who pushed him."_

A thunderous slam made Jeyne jump, her whole body feeling heavy by the scare that sound just gave her, she let the documents fall from her hands, her focus only on her soulmate that wasn't present in the room anymore.

Jeyne rearranged everything in place as fast as she could, hoping Lord Stark didn't suspect anything the next morning with the lousy job she did at it, exiting the main office as fast as possible with her heart thumping against her ribcage.

For a man who just found out that his adoptive father was responsible for the death of his biological one, Theon was nothing short of malicious, the heavy footsteps that punished the floor under them, the silence that can almost slice the air, the hands buried so deep into the pockets of his jacket and the posture that almost resembled a fighting stance, were all clues, her radar however, was unmerciful as to show her how devastated he was.

"Theon!" Jeyne called for him but no response graced her way in the middle of that dark hallway. "Theon, wait!"

An eerie _ding_ came from the elevator when Theon pressed the button too hard, the sound echoing around her as a signal to the beginning of a tomb bomb.

"Wait!" Jeyne stopped to catch her breath, her vision becoming hazy. _Was I running_? She wondered, not recalling how she got there so quickly. "Where are you going? You need to calm down first! Listen, we'll look more into it; there is _no way_ Lord Ned would've let that happen if he knew, so let's not jump into conclusions so fast!"

He lifted his head when the doors slid open and he stepped in, his tone so cold it welded the chill of ice itself when he passed by her. "Can you do one thing?"

"Do what?"

"Mind your own business."

Her lips trembled, watching him lean across the end of the elevator, no longer talking to her like he recognized her, recognized how important he was to her once, how irreplaceable he'll always be and how no one else in the world affected her with mere words like he could.

"You-" she concentrated all the anger and pain he was giving her into one, very expressive glare that made him look at her carefully, and that's what she wanted, because he needed to listen to some things that she wouldn't have another chance to say. "You narcissistic, ignorant, selfish son of a bitch! _You are_ my business!"

A pair of widened angry eyes were the last glimpse she saw of him before the doors were shut close, not even allowing her to know how he reacted to her sudden outburst. Granted, perhaps this really wasn't the time to talk to him like that and go all out, but Jeyne wouldn't have let him use anything as an excuse so he could treat her like his punching bag.

And there was still the fact that Jeyne didn't believe Lord Eddard, the most honorable man who have ever walked the surface of earth, would do such a thing.

She glanced at the stairs and dismissed the idea of using them immediately, the entrance of the building was twenty three floors down so there was no way she could reach it in time, especially with her pathetic stamina, and no, she wouldn't have made it even if she was Brienne of Tarth herself.

One thing Jeyne knew was that she couldn't leave him alone, even if he had asked her to, her conscience wouldn't allow it, her soulmate bond would crush her because of it, and her feelings for him would've only added more weight on her chest if she had let him go without trying everything she had.

 _Now_ , Jeyne debated as she entered Sansa's office again, trying to find her things and think about everything in some sort of level-headedness once she was alone. _If I was a man who just found out that my whole life is a lie, where would I go?_

She grabbed her phone and slumped on the coach, staring at an unfamiliar black background image that she had no memory of being changed until Jeyne realized that it indeed wasn't hers, but _Theon's_.

Not even questioning how he managed to forget it, given the circumstances, Jeyne began an internal conflict within herself; it was the wellbeing of her soulmate versus his privacy.

Wellbeing won pretty quick and she found herself typing on his keyboard with desperation, trying to recall everything related to her soulmate to figure out the password. If there was one way of finding out where he went, the phone was her only chance.

She started with the very first thing that came to her mind.

 _Greyjoy_

 **Incorrect Password**

 _Kraken_

 **Incorrect Password**

 _TheonIsTheBest_

 **Incorrect Password**

 _15.12.1993_

 **Incorrect Password**

 _Jey_

 **Incorrect Password** _(Really?)_

 _Women_

 **Incorrect Password**

 _Boobs_

 **Incorrect Password**

 _Ass_

 **Incorrect Password** _(No shit)_

 _HotChicks_

 **Incorrect Password**

 _Am I even trying?!_ Jeyne scolded herself, groaning after the system blocked her for the next thirty seconds. She doubted that any new brilliant ideas would pop out of thin air within that time.

Truth be told, Theon, although he was the center focus of the majority of her life, still remained a mystery to her, simply because no one knew what was on his mind most of the time, besides inappropriate and perverted thoughts, of course.

 _"_ _Jeyne,"_ Robb answered his phone after the second try with a grumble, _"Please tell me that you dialed my number by mistake."_

"No," she frowned at that strange greeting. "Why?"

 _"_ _It's three in the fucking morning, woman!"_

"Like you were even asleep," Jeyne scuffed, hearing Junior's screams from the background crystal clearly, "Having trouble in there?"

 _"_ _Listen, I'm not complaining,"_ his voice dropped like he didn't want a certain someone to hear him." _'But being a father isn't all sunshine and rainbows, alright?"_

"Noted." Jeyne said sarcastically, "Look, we have a situation here."

 _"_ _If Theon The Bloody Idiot convinced you to talk to me about that strip club project again, then don't even try, I said I'm out!"_

"What strip project?!" she asked angrily, then shook her head to remain focused and duel on _that_ later. "No, Robb, do you happen to know Theon's phone password?"

 _"_ _It's probably Jeyne,"_ he said automatically, then paused when he realized what he was giving away, _"Jeyne!"_

"What?"

 _"_ _You were raised better than this."_

"It's not like that!"

 _"_ _Look, whatever you find in there will leave you traumatized for life, trust me."_ He started lecturing like the true Ned Junior he was, _"Don't be a masochist."_

"Something happened, something extremely terrible, and he..." Jeyne allowed herself to say a chunk of the truth. "I'm worried that he'll do something to himself, Robb, I've _never_ seen him this angry before."

 _"_ _I just fed you, what the hell do you still want?!"_ Robb snapped at his son, and after a bit of rustling, he talked to her again. _"What do you mean? That bastard never gets angry."_

"I thought so too, but-" she gulped, "He took off and he had this look on his face, like he was about to go and murder someone."

"I see." Robb couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. "I've known Theon most of my life and saw him lose control only once, and to be honest, it wasn't a pretty sight."

"When?"

 _"_ _What do you mean, when? It was when he confessed to you."_ He said matter-of-factly, making Jeyne shiver at the memory. _"He's usually pretty calm and keeps things in, but, gods, he surprised the fuck out of me that day."_

 _'_ _Because I'm your fucking soulmate, damn it!'_ the loud confession of agony and anger rang in her ears again, and the sight of him breaking everything in his way even after three men tried to hold him down flashed in front of her eyes like a nightmare.

She did not want to see that again.

 _"_ _I got it."_ Robb was saying, _"Theon hates the clubs of Winterfell so I don't think he's out drinking or picking fights. There is, however, that condo we both bought last year, he might be there blowing off steam."_

"Y-You think?"

 _"_ _Theon only gets drunk when he's in a good mood and wants to feel bad, not the opposite way around. Don't worry."_ He assured her. _"And despite common beliefs, he's really not into violence. I'm not certain that he's at the condo though, but it's worth giving it a shot."_

"Thank gods." her shaking hand went to the front of her chest. "Where is it? I'll head off right now."

 _"_ _It's too late right now; I won't let you go alone." Robb said very sternly. "Don't do anything stupid, I'll send Wylis with a carriage and tell him the address."_

"Alright." Jeyne sat down, still trying to remain calm and collected. "Thanks Robb, I'm sorry but I just didn't know who else to call."

 _"_ _That man is still my brother y'know, by blood or not."_ She could see the thin smile on his face through the speakers, similar to his father's. _"And Jeyne?"_

"Yeah?"

 _"_ _I don't want to burst your bubble or anything."_ He said carefully, " _But I've never seen you two having a single conversation. Are you sure you can handle it?"_

She stared at the wall under the flickering lights, imagining those sad pale eyes and that blank expression when he told her to mind her own business, and Jeyne ran a hand down her face. "Probably not."

* * *

She did not have the time to even feel sorry for Wylis as he drove them to a far neighborhood of Winterfell at such an hour and under that punishingly cold weather, instead, by each passing second, fear, anxiety, and anticipation took over her being, slowly creeping in and pulling her into an endless cycle of unpleasant thoughts that she really didn't need to go over.

The phone that was clutched in her hand only felt heavier and heavier, as if that small device was begging her to go against her manners and morals, to open it and further know how to solve that puzzle that was her soulmate.

Jeyne knew very well that if the password wasn't the nickname he gave her, then there was no way that it would've been her actual name, given the fact that he never once in his life called her with it.

But her thumb pressed the button anyway, her fingertips crossing over and tapping those five letters just for the hell of it, just so she could know her own place and not expect to be too important for the man who broke her repeatedly every time she allowed herself to do that.

 _Jeyne_

 **Correct Password**

" _Motherfucker_." She whispered almost angrily when the screen switched to the home page, revealing a background picture that made that poor organ between her ribs start.

Forehead against forehead, shy smiles and eyes cast down through long lashes, two figures appeared before her in such beautiful quality that Jeyne didn't recognize it at first, until she saw the dress the woman was wearing.

She didn't know how Theon got his hands on the wedding picture from their photoshoot, but Jeyne was awed by their beauty, never imagining that she and her soulmate ever looked so majestic next to each other like the picture currently showed her. Conflicted about the fact that he had cropped himself out, Jeyne wondered why he let her own figure dominate most of the background with only a quarter of his face showing, as if he wanted to look only at the bride whenever he opened his phone, and not anyone else.

Jeyne was at a crossroad as to where to go next, dive in more, or just close the damn thing with one good memory rather than seeing the traumatizing contents that Robb warned her about before.

Curiosity, like always, got the best of her and Jeyne clicked at the most non private feature she could find, which was his Contact List.

Fairly enough, almost ninety percent of the names she read were of women, come real names or aliases, which all suspiciously sounded very, very indecent. She didn't know if it was mere jealousy or bias, but Jeyne could literally feel how unworthy they were to him, especially by how most of them were named _'Pink Hair', 'Large Boobs', 'Ginger Milf', 'Long Neck', 'Large Boobs 2'_ and so on.

She tried her hardest to forget all the names that involved rather specific parts of the female anatomy that weren't appropriate to name women with, but some of them made her sigh loudly in disappointment at her soulmate's choice of words, and not to mention the painful fact that he had seen so many women naked.

One single contact stuck out like a sore thumb, however, which instantly made her nostrils flare in anger upon setting eyes on it. If she managed to remain calm all the way to that point, then that name caused all of the restraint to fly out of the window.

 _Sexiest Woman Alive_ it was titled, and Jeyne's heart squeezed in her chest, feeling jealous, betrayed, and furious all at the same time; all the other names were actual facts, none of them had a compliment, let alone as flattering and powerful as that one.

 _Just who the hell is she?_ She pressed the contact for further information with clinched teeth and a powerful thirst for blood, well, that was until her jaw hanged when Jeyne recognized that the number was actually her own.

" _Mother. Fucker_." She cursed again, her cheeks aflame and nerves fluttering all over the place.

Feeling braver, she went through the Gallery to check out the cover of each of the photo albums he had, promising herself not to actually open any of them and respect whatever privacy he still had, but when the very first album revealed the back of a woman with curly brown hair with a title _S.W.A._ Jeyne wasn't the one to blame when she opened it, the count revealing exactly 1123 pictures inside that folder.

She gasped, ogling the screen that displayed a _shitload_ of her pictures, possibly even more than Jeyne knew she ever took her entire life.

Every picture she posted into the internet over the years, every picture reporters took of her, every picture she was forced to pose for in formal events, every picture her friends had tagged her in, and worst of all, what completely blew her mind away was that more than half of them were captured without her knowledge, probably by him, some were of her actual face, yet a striking amount was solely of her backside.

Specifically focused on her ass.

"Motherfucker!"

* * *

Stepping out of the elevator and making her way to the condo with the number Wylis told her to head to, Jeyne was a mess of ugly emotions, flinching at the horrifying sounds before even stepping close to the door.

Glasses shattered, objects were thrown across the house and made impact with the walls, crashing and deforming, and Jeyne heard it all, feeling the pain that was coursing through her soulmate with every single thing he broke inside during that rampage.

The gap in the doorframe notified her that the door wasn't locked, and with courage fueled by the pure desire of helping him, Jeyne pushed slowly and walked in without a sound.

The first thing that her eyes set on was the tiled floor of the kitchen at the end of the short corridor, covered with shreds of glass and painted with a color that sent her senses on an overdrive of fear.

"Theon?!"

With rushed footsteps, she passed through the aftermath and followed the trail of blood, the tiny crimson droplets leading her into a spacious area of what seemed like a living room with dimmed lights and a silence that could kill.

A figure that sat exhausted at the single coach on the corner seemed to be calling for her with an aura of desperation, and Jeyne obliged, enable to ignore the dots painted on the fabric of his clothes that seemed to be coming from his hand.

"What did you do?!" she almost screamed from the pain that touched her skin and flesh, kneeling on the floor and taking his wrist into her hand, the sight of a large cut on his palm feeling like a dagger pierced into her eyeball. "Oh my _gods_!"

"You came..."

She lifted her head, staring at two, very wide, unbelieving eyes. "Of course I fucking came, _look_ at you!"

He covered his face with his good hand, sighing as if she was another one of his problems. "Why would you bother with a narcissistic, ignorant, selfish son of a bitch like me?"

"I meant every word, if that's what you're asking." She spat angrily, still not believing that he could hurt himself like that, "And I also meant that _you_ are my business."

He removed his hand, revealing a deep frown that was laced with barely maintained anger under it. "You said that?"

"I don't care if I'm meddling into things that don't concern me, but you need to _listen_ ," she gave his arm a tug, wincing at the pain that came with that movement, "Just remember, Lord Ned was the man who raised both of us. We've known him all our lives, and judging by that alone, there is no way that he-"

"You don't fucking get it, Jey." He leaned against the coach, his eyes squeezing shut. "I was one hair away from doing something that I would've regretted my whole life."

"What are you talking about?" she watched him with knitted eyebrows as he stared at the ceiling with so much anger that it could've brought it down with the power of will alone.

"I don't remember much from my childhood because it was all hazy and a fucking blur of memories, especially after my father passed away. What I always recalled though, was how protective my mother was of me and my sister, she always said that there was a man after us and she wouldn't allow him to take us, but she fell sick and died soon after. My sister was old enough to escape but I was sucked into the turmoil like a helpless fly and was instantly tossed into foster care. My uncle tried to take custody of me multiple times, but Lord Ned didn't let him.

"Eventually, he adopted me and I've _always_ resented him for it. Yes, I fucking did, I always knew that _he_ was the man that was after us, the man who pushed my own _nuncle_ out of my life. The older I got, the more I connected the dots together with my understanding of things. He perhaps was after the inheritance since Pyke, all its fortunes, and titles are mine by birthright, or he didn't want anyone to know that he was behind my father's death, I just assumed, I never knew.

"I felt like a hostage in that house the whole time, all those years, all those relationships I built, I only felt happy with them when I was off guard, other times, I just hated all of them, even Robb, because his father was the reason my family shattered, right? So I plotted revenge, ignored my love for that family that I unconsciously had and just came up with ways to bring Eddard Stark's empire down. When I read that article, it was my only hope, a flare, a sign pushing me to actually do it for real.

"The document you were reading was my target, only if I exposed his schemes and involvement in that accident, perhaps I will ruin him just like he ruined _me_. But-" his hands were shaking so bad that a drop of blood flew to her direction. "But I was reading a whole different document in that pile."

"I found out about something that I never had knowledge of, _no one_ told me, no one warned me that the head of the architecture team, the man who killed my father with his own hands, the man who is actually in jail right now since Lord Eddard exposed him, was my very own _nuncle,_ Euron. And sire was trying to keep this from me this whole time, that's why I never even expected it."

She settled on the floor, her knees unable to hold her weight anymore.

"Do you know what that means?" he wasn't talking to her anymore, but to himself, "Now, why would Euron, who ruined the structure of the bridge and made my father be the first man to pass through it on purpose, fight so hard over the custody of me and my sister?"

"Oh... _gods_."

"He set his eyes on my inheritance the moment I was born, and Lord Ned was the only one who knew." He clutched his face, the pain from his nails digging against his flesh and hurting her too. "My mother was warning me about _him_ , _he_ ruined my life, Lord Ned _saved_ me from _him,_ and what did I do to repay his kindness? Oh yes, I _loathed_ him my whole fucking life. I was almost going to destroy the only man who ever gave a shit about me for a father I never even knew and a psychopath who wants me dead."

"Theon-"

"That family, _fucking hell_ , that family is everything I have, and I wasted sixteen years of my life being an ungrateful scumbag and overlooking what was in front of me the whole time." He started chuckling like a madman. "I wonder what Robb will think of me when he knew that I'm such a sick fuck who does this to the people who care about him." He smiled thinly, staring at her like she was the most unfortunate creature he had ever laid eyes on. "Even you, Jey, I did that to you too when you had no idea that we were soulmates. I'm sorry; the gods have paired you with a fucking monster."

"Can you stop with the bullshit already?" she snapped, her tone venomous. "You _hated_ them? Give me a fucking break. It's all in your head, Theon; you thought of it and tried to force yourself into hating them but it failed, goddamn obviously. You love them to hell and back, anyone with good a sight can see it whenever you interact with each other. Lord Ned was trying to protect you when he hid the truth, but you didn't know that so stop being a bloody Emo girl who insists that she's bad and evil when in reality, she can't hurt a fly!"

He blinked, his mood immediately changing. "You're very rude today, Jey."

"Because I'm sick of your crap, that's why!" she stood up, hoping he didn't see that single tear that escaped her eye at the pain she was going through. "Now, where the hell is your first aid kit? You'll bleed to death, for fuck sake."

He managed a forced smile. "I have no idea."

She groaned her way to the kitchen, cursing how stupid and reckless he was being. Only when Jeyne was away from earshot did she let herself lean on the counter on sob freely, her cheeks wetting with tears like a baby.

 _Stupid, stupid, asshole._ She sniffed, rummaging through the cabins and crying the whole time.

Thanks to all the gods, the box with a red plus sign was located in a matter of minutes. Jeyne laid it on the counter and took the opportunity to wash her face, trying to compose herself before reentering his range.

She grabbed the kit with quivering fingers and went back, the pain hitting her head first when she came close to him again.

"Stay still." She cursed herself when her voice came out raspy and deep, sending a definite note to her soulmate.

Theon didn't comment, but just obeyed and watched her roll his sleeve so intensely that it was affecting her more than the wound itself.

He barely winced when the alcohol soaked cotton made contact with the injured area, but she couldn't handle it like him, but instead pushed her forehead against the coach and bit her lip as hard as she can to not scream.

"It's okay, Jey, I swear." He muttered, "It isn't that deep; I can barely feel it."

 _A liar, and a complete fucking dumbass_. She realized, breathing heavily and bringing out the needle that was staring at her like a torturing tool. _This will hurt like a bitch._

And it did, but only worse than Jeyne imagined it would when she started stitching him up.

"You're so good at this." Theon kept talking with ease, trying his hardest not to let her know how bad she was hurting him. "If you touch me like that every time, then I'll consider cutting myself more frequently."

"Shut the fuck up." She said through gritted teeth, holding back a tortured moan and appreciating the fact that with all of the sewing accidents at her workplace, she managed to develop stitching skills and some sort of pain tolerance. "And don't move."

"If I do, you won't talk." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I love hearing your voice."

Jeyne stopped mid knot, staring at him with bloodshot eyes and releasing a huff, almost gasping when she pulled the thread too hard. " _Please_."

He clipped his mouth shut, turning to look in front of him with a glare.

Jeyne had to stop every few seconds to catch her breath, and she wasn't even halfway through yet but she pushed through the pain, knowing that she'll never dare leave that sort of wound on him unattended.

"Are you crying?" he turned to her, incredulous at her state. "Jey, I _told_ you it doesn't hurt."

"It does!" she squeaked with the tiniest voice, clueless on how he managed to keep his calm until now.

Breaths hitching when she finally tied the last knot, she searched for the bandages with a blurred vision through her tears.

Jeyne clasped the roll, her lips trembling, finishing the procedure as quickly as she can and wrapping the palm of his hand gently, wildfire mixed with pain attacking every cell in her body it was absolute madness.

She settled on the floor, breathing so rigidly that the sound was high in volumes.

"Jey?"

"It _hurt_ ," she sobbed loudly, " _Gods_ , it hurt so much!"

He didn't even have the opportunity to speak before she interrupted him with another wail of agony.

"I felt it," she tried to wipe her face but it wasn't doing anything good to the mess, "I felt all of it!"

"WHAT?!"

"S-soulmates don't just feel psychological pain," she explained, stuttering, "But physical pain too."

"Are you fucking serious?!" he pushed himself up with stitched hand, desperate to reach for her. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Don't!" she begged, holding a hand in front of her, "Don't move! It hurts!"

" _Fuck!_ " he sat down unwillingly, his expression murderous. "Why would you do that?! Are you an _idiot_?!"

"It hurt and you were bleeding-"

"Who the fuck cares?!" he said it so furiously that it distracted her from the pain, "I _knew_ it hurt, that's why I didn't want you to worry!"

"I-It's fine."

"No, it's _not_ goddamn fine!" Jeyne then realized that she hasn't seen Theon this mad in her entire life. "You thought I'll just be happy when I know that I put you through that?!"

"Theon-"

"Go and get some pain killers, _right now_." He instructed, not having any of it. "Or wait, just fucking get out of here, you're only feeling it when you're near me, right? Go!"

"Would you stop shouting already?!" she snapped at him, "And if you needed pain killers, why didn't you just say so?!"

"How the hell should I know that you were feeling everything too?!"

"It's _your_ pain, you idiot! I just can't handle it like you do, go figure." She crossed her arms across her chest, "And where the fuck would I go? It's four am in the morning."

He groaned, falling limp on the coach behind him again, running his hands through his dirty blond hair then resting it on his chest. "Don't _ever_ do that again, oh god, my heart fucking hurts."

"You think I would've just stood by when I saw all the blood?" she deadpanned, "And besides, you just found out that your uncle is a psychotic criminal who murdered your own father; I'm the _least_ you should be worrying about right now."

"Jeyne."

He said it so suddenly that she didn't have the time to register what had gotten into him to actually say her _name_ , but that tone of voice was what startled her the most. Jeyne turned to look at him throughoutly, gulping at the way he watched her so intently from the gap between his fingers.

He cracked the most beautiful smile that she had ever seen, the view almost blinding and the syllables in her name flowing so charmingly in his tongue, as if she was named so only he can call her with it. " _Oh_ , Jeyne."

The relief, admiration, and happiness that were emitting like rays suddenly changed, darkening in intensity and turning into deeper, more dangerous emotions, emotions that Jeyne had indeed felt coming towards her lots of times before, but never in that strength.

"Do you want me to feel better?"

She just stared.

"Come here." He stretched his bandaged hand, beckoning her to him. _Lust. Need. Desire. Hunger_. All striking at once. "I'll make you forget about the pain too."


	27. Chapter 27

**Perfectly Prejudiced Chapter Six: Answers**

Jeyne ogled the outstretched hand carefully like Theon was offering her a weapon of mass destruction.

She gulped, ignoring the pain completely and exploring the endless possibilities in her head if she accepted it, approached him, and let her soulmate do whatever he wanted with her.

And only gods knew what he was eager to do.

One word of approval or even a simple nod would unlock all the perks that others had for granted but were forbidden from her, grant her all the secret desires that she had wished for so long.

Will she, though? Technically speaking, Jeyne could possibly be able to make him forget about all the revelations that Theon had faced tonight, heck, for someone who was going through all of this alone, she was still surprised that he didn't have a mental breakdown on the spot.

In fact, he raised his voice only once during his confession, and had yelled with a far higher pitch when he find out that she was physically hurt because of him, which had nothing to do with anything. He didn't shed a single tear either, yet, Jeyne doubted anything in this world would make Theon Greyjoy cry, that was more of a mythical probability, really.

She was weighing her pros and cons, and to her surprise, the cons weren't that many, especially at that particular moment when her heart was swelling with need, for love and attention that was denied from her for so long.

Why did Jeyne have to endure seeing Sandor's possessiveness and obvious shift of personality from fierce to loving whenever he talked to Sansa?

Why did she have to watch silently from the corner as Robb and Westerling played with their son with happiness so bright it almost blinded her sight each time?

Why did she have to act like it was normal when Jon and his fiancé whispered in their own bubble of smiles and smirks, exchanging pecks when they thought no one was looking?

Why did she have to hide her jealousy whenever she saw Gendry staring at Arya like she was a fucking goddess even when he was getting yelled and cursed at constantly?

Under those dimmed lights, the view in front of her was nothing short of enchanting, with that dark shade that had befallen on him, Theon's hair almost looked black, and Jeyne realized that that color would really suit him; it made his features stand out more, as if they weren't perfect enough as it was, his eyebrows were arched and thick, providing a good contrast to the hue of his eyes, his face was clear of any facial hair, if she could ever handle him with a beard, that was still debatable, and his jaw, that would look so chiseled, or soft, depending on which angle she watched him, and his neck and collarbone, her favorite parts when it came to men, couldn't have looked any more defined with the veins making appearance on their outline, squeezing the skin between them and pulsing with each second.

 _What men?_ She wondered, when was the last time Jeyne was interested enough to check out anyone that wasn't her soulmate?

And there was that scary thought, that illogical, heart dropping thought that filled her with both fear, and wicked excitement; it was the fact that by all natural, and spiritual laws of the universe, that man could one day be all hers.

"Jeyne," _Ahh, that melodic voice_ , she almost forget how soothing it was on her ears. "You need to stop looking at me like that before I do something stupid."

Those words triggered a flush of blood to attack the sides of her cheeks, turning them crimson on the spot. _Cons, cons_ , she squeezed her eyes shut desperately, _what were the cons?!_

She remembered the abyss of stars as they spent their nights watching the dark sky, moonlight draping the pine tree and protecting them with a duvet of shade, the constellations attracting their young eyes, their fingers aching to lace with each other but none of them had the enough courage to do it.

 _'I'm sorry, I can't do this. Have a great life.'_ Was all it took for the spell to be broken, for comfort to vanish, for the content to cease, for admiration to turn into an evil sense of unlawful betrayal.

Forgetfulness was a terrible trait, she concluded, when the memories broke through her like a raging tornado, shattering the pink glass of her fantasies and showing her the reality of things once again, the orphic drug that her soulmate had injected into her spirit throughout the night started fading, allowing her to finally sober up.

She opened her lids, having all the previous emotions drained from her soul until nothing was left anymore. Her legs started guiding her into the other direction, having no idea where she was going but at least it was away from all the mental torture.

 _This isn't fair_. Her lips pursed together, tears starting to form again on their natural habitat; her waterlines, as if she hasn't cried enough for one night already. _None of it is fair_.

All that saturated cloud of emotions instantly vanished off of her soulmate, filtering into one; disappointment. "Where are you going?"

Jeyne found herself facing the locked door of the apartment, her only escape that was one click away from releasing her back into her lonely, void, and pointless life again.

"Home." She pressed her finger on the center of the knob, turning to pull the door her away.

The gap didn't even get to stretch one inch before a couple of thuds took place behind her, and the door closed shut again with a loud slam, making her jump by the quickness of it all.

Did he _run_ to stop her?

She was aware of the loud huffs blowing on her cheek and the contact of his chest against her with every cell, gluing on her back and rising up and down, confirming her thoughts.

Delicious body heat, laced with wildfire, surrounded her behind like a blanket, warmer than anything humane, the proximity of their bodies so overwhelming that she could feel his abdominal muscles through the fabric of their clothes.

Jeyne took a glance to her left, observing the length of his arm, pale blue veins bulging out of its surface and all the way to the hand that was plastered on the door, still pushing fiercely, as if not sure that it was completely locked yet.

She gulped loudly, her whole body shaking with nonsensical contradiction.

"Don't go." Jeyne almost jumped again when she heard him, realizing how close his mouth was to her ear. "I'm just... I'm just a desperate piece of shit, that's all, please forget what I said."

She didn't move from her spot, did not even give it a thought to go back or retreat, and to the outside eye, it may have looked like Jeyne was standing her ground and insisting on her initial objective of leaving.

But as for the truth, Jeyne just wanted to stay in that position for as long as possible, since, _pathetically_ , it was the nearest she was to her soulmate in thirteen years.

Theon shifted, trying whatever he can to comfort her by placing his other hand on her shoulder, until they both realized at the same time that it was the injured one, causing her to wince and jerk away from him against her will.

" _Wait!_ " He called for her, despair oozing out of his voice but it was in vain, because she was already out of the room to gods know where.

Her heart was hammering with each step she took until she found a door and at the end of the corridor and entered through it, locking herself in the now identified bathroom after flicking the light switch.

Jeyne always thought of herself as a simple minded girl, granted, it wasn't a flattering way to describe someone, but she was narrated in that way for as long as she could remember. As obvious as it always was, she never had anything special to distinguish her from her peers, no special personality trait, no unusual characteristics, no unique air or charisma, she just had her _simplicity_.

But what was always happening whenever she found herself in the same room with him was absolutely unintelligible, always turning her mind into a never ending labyrinth of unimaginable thoughts swirling in circles around her head, replacing all simplicity with complication.

To this day, she never deduced for sure just how deep the bullet was lying underneath her skin, the seriousness of the damage caused by the chain of events between her and Theon was never set on stone, sometimes Jeyne would forget that anything unpleasant had ever happened between them, and other times, the spite and blame sent his way was endless.

Her face was soaking with tap water as she rewashed it for a second time, not that it would help any bit, but just because the sensation of coolness against her heated face simply felt nice.

Jeyne grabbed the sides of the basin, leaning in and struggling with her short breaths, knowing that she was only a few hairs away from having the first panic attack of her life.

 _No_ , her grip tightened, _I won't allow him to do that too me, too_.

She slipped out of her coat, tossing it aside and staring at an unflattering reflection of a pale, pathetic looking woman, competing head on against the weather of Winterfell and dressing in a fitted, silky navy blue blouse that wasn't by any means layered to protect her from the cold. Her hair was tied in a now disastrous braid that fell on her shoulder, limp and withering just like her overall state. Light brown eyes watched her, judging her idiotic decisions and innocent view of the world.

Jeyne stared and stared until she registered that the mirror was a cabinet. Opening it, she searched through all of the five medicines that Robb and Theon bothered to put in there and examined the anesthetic spray that was lying horizontally on the first shelf, making sure that it hasn't expired yet, and to her luck, it was just a month away from reaching the said date.

Shutting the cabinet and grabbing a towel to wipe her face, Jeyne finally existed after a quarter hour of debating with herself, her coat in hand.

She found Theon slumped on the coach, lying emotionless with the inside of his elbow covering his eyes, his right arm lax on the side of the seat, the whole room dead silent if not for the eerie sounds of the clock hands moving, as if mocking her to say that life was going on and no one would stop to care the slightest.

"I won't let you leave." He spoke, nourishing the space with a sound, hallow and empty, yet so expressive.

She tossed the bottle on his stomach, making him clinch his jaw before peaking past his elbow to see what she had thrown his way.

"For the pain." Jeyne managed to say, standing in the middle of the living room, completely still.

"Jey?"

She glanced his way to see his hidden face, save for a pale, pleading eye that shot toward her.

"Don't shut me out, not now." He almost sounded like he was begging, "I _need_ you."

A ribbon shot at her heart, sewing it with a dark and crimson color of dread. Jeyne crossed her arms around herself, balancing her coat on her forearms and resolving to pluck out some answers.

Three years of asking endless questions. Three years of what if's. Three years of wandering imaginations and desperate thoughts, all came down to one detonation.

"September 3rd, 2016."

His irises flickered in recognition, well aware, even more than her, that it was the day everything changed, the moment after they built so much connection, after they surpassed so many obstacles and morning sun finally crept on their relationship, only for him to leave her with nothing, not even a single explanation.

She swallowed hard. "Tell me what happened on that day, Theon."

Sitting abruptly, he clutched at the bottle Jeyne gave him, settling on the end of the coach and planting his feet on the floor,

He shook it upside down like it was a grenade waiting to explode and turn them into fragments of failure and tragedy.

He sprayed almost all the contents of the pain killer on his injured palm until she was sure that he couldn't feel it anymore, as if he was trying to numb himself of something utterly different from a couple of stitches.

"So you want to play that game?" he didn't stop pressing on the bottle button, glaring at his hand, then softening his expression, then glaring again, a thousand and one emotions storming into him and her at the same time, almost like his face was a presentation of comedy and tragedy masks of Greek theatre. "Fine, love, but answer me this first." He lifted his head, pinning her down with an unpleasant gaze. "June 24th, 2006, 8:35 PM, the back of the Stark mansion in King's Landing, right under the tree. What happened _there_?!"

Her eyes widened. Why was he bringing _that_ up? Why was he recalling the night when Margery contaminated her brain caused her to start a feud with him that she couldn't finish for the ten years after it? "You know what happened!"

"I don't know _jack shit_." He spat, angry and irritated. "So tell me, tell me what happened."

"Margery," she stammered, "I was heading to gardens to meet up with you and she-"

" _Margery_?" in the craziest, most unstable way possible, Theon threw his head back and laughed with all his might, enjoying the discovery, or getting tormented by it, she did not know. "Explains why she jumped into my bed the day after." His laughter died out and Jeyne felt a familiar stab of pain. "So what did Marg tell you?! Who else did I fuck beside the servant girl? Myrcella? Miranda? Heck, you would've probably believed that it was _Sansa_ for all I know."

"I was _fourteen_." She said through gritted teeth, fighting the painful bile in her throat. "I didn't know how to react!"

"So you just fucking believed her?!" he shouted, turning his voice into something unrecognizable. Jeyne was about to say something defensive but her words turned into a yelp of surprise when Theon shot the bottle across the room like a madman, breaking a vas that hit it to pieces. "You tossed me away like a used tissue, despised me for shit I didn't do, and treated me like an outcast, like everyone else! _So bravo_!"

"I didn't despise you." She whispered, having lived in a safe environment, being treated like a china doll by her father, kept away from violence most of her life, and getting accustomed to Theon's overly calm personality; the current contrast to everything she was used to made fear sneak its way into her nerves, fear of _him_ , her soulmate. "I didn't."

"No, of course not," he scoffed, "You just decided to give me ten years of misery instead."

"Ten years of _misery_?" she found her voice through the clouds of anger and incredulousness, " _Oh_ , you must've been in _so much pain_ , going after anything that had legs and a vagina, shoving your tongue inside girls' mouths while I watched, sleeping with ten different women a week, making it your goal in life to show me how _replaceable_ I was to you. What a tragedy!"

"Careful." In a blink of an eye, he towered over her, making Jeyne step back from the dangerous, menacing aura that was consuming him. "You don't know a _damn_ thing about me!"

"And whose fault is that?!" she didn't know where all that courage was coming from, perhaps it was the fact no matter how in an uncontrollable rage he seemed, Theon would never hurt her, physically at least. "I didn't even _know_ you were my soulmate the entire time! We've known each other for so long that I didn't even _remember_ your words; I was clueless to the whole thing, for fuck sake, I actually believed you didn't have a soulmate until that night you lashed out!"

"What did you expect me to do?!" he asked of her, "Did you want me to go to you after four years of being treated like a plague and say, _'Oh by the way, I'm your soulmate, let's forget all the holes you planted on my back and move on'_?!"

"So what did you want _me_ to do, huh?! Call you a liar and strip you and search for your tattoo, when I don't even remember my _own_ words either?!"

" _I don't know_!" he shouted.

"Because you're a moron!"

"And you're a clueless idiot!"

"Don't you get it?!" she stepped closer, reaching her peak of rage and desperation. "It's thanks to _you_ that I'm always clueless!"

"Because, if you have realized it or not," his jaw hardened, "You never even tried to understand!"

"Understand what, exactly?!" her breath hitched, "The note you left me three years ago was straight to the point, wasn't it?!"

"Here we go." Theon hung his head, "If you at least _bothered_ to remember all the things I said and did that night, you would've known immediately that something wasn't right, but that's what you do, Jey, you believe everything you hear and dive in head first into conclusions."

"Were you waiting for me to run after you or something?!" she countered, "Did _you_ ever do that with me when things went downhill? No. So why should _I_?!"

"You know what? _Fine_." He released one of the most forced smiles that Jeyne had ever seen. "You're right, and I'm wrong. You deserve to get hurt, I don't. You're the sweet, innocent, and angelic Jeyne Poole that never did a mistake her entire life, and I'm the lying, manipulative, evil bastard that is to blame for everything."

Her eyebrows furrowed together, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with the accusations. "I never said that."

"But that's what you want to hear, isn't it?" the estranged smile was widening from her vintage point before it disappeared from her view. Jeyne watched him with a clutched fist as he turned and started walking away from her, both of his hands raised at his sides. "So here, now you have a confession, enjoy it."

"Tell me what happened." Despair breaking into a rushed tone, Jeyne found her hand around his elbow, holding it in an agonized grip, trying to whirl him around with all her power but he stood still in his place, more stubborn than a boulder. "You _owe_ me an explanation."

He chuckled dryly, finally turning so she could see the anguish in his eyes that never seemed to fade, but only increase in strength. "Can you handle it, though?"

"Doesn't matter," Jeyne muttered uncertainly, "I have the right to know."

He buried a hand in the pocket of his jeans, straightening himself and pointing the other one toward the coach in front of him. "You need to sit down first."

" _Goddamn_ ," Jeyne snapped. "Just say it!"

"This is one fucking disastrous night alright."He ruffled his hair with his numbed fingers, turning the dirty blond strands into a mess and sighing heavily. "You need to keep an open mind, you hear me? And I mean it, no crying, yelling, or interrupting until I finish."

She gave him a firm nod, eagerness and curiosity proving themselves as a not so pleasant mixture, especially regarding the current situation.

He avoided looking at her when he used that soulless voice again. "I can't begin to describe how... _happy_ I was that night; everything I told you was true and all the promises I made were genuine, Jey, I swear it, but I should've _known_ , I should've fucking known that the gods loath me." He walked to the mini bar at the side of the room, picking the first bottle that he set his eyes on, "Just imagine it; when everything seems to fall in place, when you finally get the _one_ thing you wanted more than anything else in the world, and someone just comes in and drags you back to the lonely hellhole you always knew." He poured a generous amount of crimson wine into a glass, gulping it down way faster than she expected. Theon gasped softly, already preparing another. "Now, enough with shitty poetry, let's cut to the chase, shall we?

"I remember leaving your chambers, heading downstairs drunk of _you_ , and swimming on cloud fucking nine, dead set on keeping that high at any cost. Then I get to my room to retrieve my phone, which, by the power of all superior forces in existence, was ringing, out of all days, out of all moments.

"Her name was Ros, not that I remembered her before she told me what she looked like, and mind you, I still didn't quietly recall who it was exactly, all I got was red hair, and drunken sex in the back of Flee Bottom," he glanced her way to make sure that Jeyne wasn't storming toward the door already, and slumped his shoulders before taking another huge gulp, "And that's when she told me she was pregnant."

The coat fell at her feet.

They say redemption was a thing of wings, and Theon's happened to be aflame, slowly turning into crisps and crippling all chances of her ever forgiving him.


	28. Chapter 28

**Perfectly Prejudiced Chapter Seven: Buildup (Finale)**

Jeyne visibly flinched, as if a bucket of ice cold water splashed on her right in the face, freezing every nerve to the point of numbness.

 _Oh, gods._ She inhaled sharply, trying not to crumble too soon and actually hear him all the way to the end. The woman was pregnant. She definitely called him because he was the _father_ , he probably had a bastard child if all this was true. Her soulmate. Has. A bastard child. _Oh gods, ohgods, ohgods, ohgodsohgodsohgodsohgods_.

Theon quirked an eyebrow at her, completely unfazed by how the color drained out from her like an open faucet as he proceeded with his fourth or fifth drink.

"If that wasn't a divine punishment, I don't know what is." Laughing bitterly, Theon leaned against the bar, sipping his beverage and looking her way for a few dragged minutes, as if testing the waters before he went on. "I downright freaked out, of course, because I usually was pretty careful but I couldn't accuse her of bluffing, since the night we met, it happened that I was drunk out of my sanity, and do you know what's the most screwed up part about the whole thing? It was the night you arrived at King's Landing." Jeyne realized by then that she indeed needed to sit down by how weak her knees were becoming by each word. "So _fuck me_ and my happiness, right? There was no way I would've explained it to you, not one that would make you forgive me, so I just did you a solid and kicked myself out of your life, hence the note." He shook his head, blinking a few times after another heavy sip. "So fast forward after I flew back to King's Landing, with my life officially over, just to meet up with Ros and find out that she's is a fucking psychopath."

Septa Mordane's lessons finally coming in handy as Jeyne started reciting a thousand different prayers after the long pause he took, finding a bit of hope in that last sentence.

"Two weeks in after the tests and checkups and all that jazz, it turned out that _oh_ , she was knocked up alright, but it wasn't mine." Jeyne blew out the longest breath she didn't know she was holding, making him smile for a split second before the gloom clouded him again. "She was out of her fucking mind, Jey, that woman was not mentally stable, that much I concluded, because she _knew_ I wasn't the father, but made me go through all that shit just to spite me."

"Why?" she asked cautiously, no longer caring about not interrupting him and making her way to the bar, gods knew she needed a drink at the jump her heart performed.

He looked at floor, laughing genuinely this time, the ripples echoing all over the room, notifying her that she was about to hear something very twisted. "Apparently, I kept calling her _Jeyne_ when we-"

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?!" she grimaced, adding even more volume to his laughter after her exclamation.

"Like, the _whole_ time, _repeatedly_."

"No wonder she did that, you're _awful_!"

"Oh, sweet girl," he looked at her from the corner of his eye, his lips that were facing the raised glass curling into a smirk, "You know I can feel your satisfaction, right?"

She blushed, giving the color of cherries a run for their money as she whispered a selective choice of curses under her breath, pouring herself a glass to forget about that remark.

"Ah, look at that," he smiled thinly, "You actually listened."

She took a tiny sip, deciding that Robb and Theon's wine choices weren't entirely bad, she wasn't much of a drinker, for sure, but something about her calmness was alarming, Jeyne knew that something wasn't right and that she needed to get loose somehow. "Something tells me that it didn't end there."

"Well, that something is right." He replied solemnly, "I kept myself civilized after that checkup, trying my hardest not to lose my shit in front of that doctor, then that _crazy bitch_ started asking him about abortion."

Jeyne blinked, she perhaps didn't know much about Ros, but for a woman who had random hookups in back alleys, it was sort of obvious that abortion was the right course of action, thus, why she didn't understand Theon's anger, especially after everything that that woman did to him just for the heck of it.

"She was almost _four_ months pregnant; that was... that was _fucked up_!" he exclaimed furiously. "I know I should have left and never contacted her again, but fucking hell, I couldn't let her kill an unborn _baby_. I tried to talk to her about it but she was too stubborn, and I swear to the drowned god, if she wasn't a pregnant woman, I would've beaten the shit out of her on the spot, because _goddamnit_ , who would kill their own _child_?!"

To this very day, Jeyne never truly understood the extent of Theon's love toward children, but given that he actually tried to stop a woman who gave him hell itself from having abortion, it must've been pretty goddamn endless.

It was like his unconscious form of vengeance for all the elements that left him with nothing close to a stable childhood.

"I kept visiting Ros and arguing with her almost every single day until the abortion day came. She asked me to take her since the father ditched out and escaped overseas, and that _bloody idiot_ broke down in the clinic and refused to go through the surgery, which was a good thing if she didn't make a _huge_ scene and clutched on me for dear life the whole time," he said, obviously very irritated by the memory, "So I asked what the fuck was her problem and if she was bipolar or some shit, and she ended up telling me her whole life story."

Jeyne was experiencing mixed feelings along the tale, frustration from Theon, jealousy toward Ros, and also a sprinkle of hate toward her since Jeyne was a fan of children herself, and wanting to have abortion fourth months in was indeed fucked up and morally wrong.

"Long story short; little ol' Ros was a jobless, financially broken woman who occasionally sold her body for some cash, go figure, it's _always_ the money that makes people do that sorta shit. She couldn't keep the baby even if she wanted to, which by the way, she _did_ , desperately did." He ran his numb hand down his face. "She tried to refuse my help but like _hell_ I would've let her, and I guess you can figure out what happened next."

Her eyebrows shot up in disbelieve. "You mean-?"

"I really didn't have anything going on in my shitty life back then, but I knew a few things, unlike Jon;" he didn't even smile at the jest, "I wouldn't have slept one night peacefully if I let her kill an unborn child, and I wouldn't have let her raise him in dumpsters, either, so I became her fucking babysitter for five months before I found her a decent job, a trustable daycare, and made sure Theon was in good hands myself because Ros was the most unreliable, idiotic, annoying piece of shit I've ever met."

" _Holy shit_." Her jaw dropped. "'Theon'?!"

"Yeah, on top it all, she named her son after me, even when I repeatedly asked her _not_ to. _Theon Waters_ , just... fucking kill me." He finished another glass effortlessly, "The day I walked out of her life was the most ecstatic I've ever been, because _seven hells_ , she was the biggest pain in my ass."

"How..." she poured herself a second glass, not quite enjoying the story anymore. Utterly surprised and impressed? She was. Jealous to the core? She most definitely was, too. "How are they now?"

"Beats me." He shrugged, sounding happy about. "I never saw a glimpse of her stupid face ever since. Ros called me two and a half years ago to thank me, and apparently she started dating her boss so... hope that worked out for her."

She nodded solemnly, her feelings on an overdrive, non decisive and unarranged into a complete mess, the alcohol in that third glass she was consuming adding only more obscurity.

 _Five months_. She thought bitterly, _five months that you could've spent with_ _ **me**_ _._

"I tried to reach out for you, too." Theon suddenly said, his eyes still on the floor as if he could decipher her exact thoughts. "But you completely _vanished,_ damn me, I knew I had a hand in it but there was nothing I could do, you didn't even stay in Winterfell or showed your face _anywhere_. When Sansa finally found me an address that led to you, it was too late."

Jeyne indeed wanted to disappear from the face of the planet and not ever see him again for a few years, but with the outcome of everything, perhaps that wasn't one of her bright ideas, well, if she ever had any of those.

"Why?" she didn't intend to raise her voice, but it came out too loud anyway. "Why was it _too late_?"

"There was some news circulating at the time," he groaned, sipping more wine, "Something about you and _Satan_."

"You mean Satin?"

"Satan."

"Like Lucifer?"

"Might as well..."

"No seriously!"

"Yes, _yes_ , Satin, that gay looking son of a bitch you brought with you to the graduation party." He clarified, malice clear in his voice. "They were saying that you were possibly soulmates because you were seen together multiple times."

 _Oh_ , Jeyne finally remembered, _that guy_. It was back when her first collection finally came out and the paparazzi realized her connection with the Starks, thus, making her a huge target of their lenses for about a few months before her fame died out. "Those were shams, for gods' sake!"

"No shit, Jey," Theon rolled his eyes, "I of all people knew that."

"Then?"

" _Then_ ," he repeated, waving his glass in the air, "Who was I to sabotage your relationship back then? Soulmates or not, I think all the gods knew that it was better for me to stay away."

"What are you on about?" Jeyne asked, completely confused, she did hear something like that from Sansa too the other day which only popped more questions. "What relationship?!"

"Hey, it's alright. You don't need to get defensive." Theon said softly, "I'd be the biggest hypocritical asshole on earth if I judge you for dating someone, and I truly don't."

"But I didn't!" she snapped, very offended. "Satin was _gay_!"

He snorted loudly before he realized what he actually heard. His eyebrows shot up. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yes. He was into _men_!" Jeyne went out, feeling humiliated all over again. "I didn't bring him to the party, we _met_ there. Satin shortly worked at our company as an editor, that's why we were seen together frequently. And believe it or not, he was pining over _Loras_ the whole time before Renly found out and fired him on the spot."

The embarrassment hit her in full force at the reminder, yes, the only man that was kind enough to give her attention that night and actually look interested ended up being a homosexual who was using her for connections, it said a lot about her.

"Thank _god_." He covered his face with the palm of his now shaking hand. "And to think that I actually came in terms with it at some point..."

She looked at him with the corner of her eyes, irritation seeping into her all of a sudden. "You shouldn't have, asshole!"

He shot her a look. "What do you mean?"

"You shouldn't have come in terms with it!" Jeyne went on, her voice high and screechy. "I never did when I saw you with other women, let alone if I thought you were _dating_ anyone. You mean to tell me that it was that easy for you to just give up?"

"I did it for you-"

"To hell with that! You didn't do it for me, you did it for _yourself,_ because it was easier that way, wasn't it?!"

He muttered to himself. "And now we return to the root of the problem. _La-di-dah_."

"Excuse me?!"

"Mindless assumptions; simple as that." He said, "It was and shall remain our downfall. Why is it so hard for you to believe the truth, yet so easy to go with accusations? Why do you like to portray me as a villain every chance you have?"

"Because you never explain anything to me-"

"I would, if I had the fucking chance to _talk to you_!" Theon started shouting again, "I told you, I _couldn't_ , you disappeared and no one knew whether you were alive or not! And when you were finally on my radar, you had already made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with me! You think I can't read between the lines when you cut off all ties with my family too?! Block me on every single network?! Label me as a plague all over again?!

"You always think that you are the only one in pain, and of course, everyone would agree with your case and ignore the _shitstorm_ that I've been sucked into for more than a decade. I might not have made the best decisions, my reactions might've not been of one experiencing _constant pain_ , I might not look like a victim, but you know what? When I'm hurt by you and suffering, you don't have a say in it anymore!

"Everything I did those three years was for your sake, I swear it, by the old gods and the new. I didn't want to be the infamous Theon Greyjoy anymore, because that _fuckboy_ didn't deserve to be with you.

"That fuckboy wouldn't have cared that you were sick that night, he would've just taken you and left before you woke up, because that was the sole purpose of his life; just sex. That fuckboy would've let Ros destroy her life and kill her son without feeling guilty the slightest. That fuckboy would've fucked half of the female population of King's Landing in those three years and actually feel proud about it. That fuckboy would've beaten Satin half to death just so you could not live your life peacefully. That fuckboy would've screwed his adopted father's life without investigating anything.

"But that fuckboy was no more, not when _Theon_ entered your chambers and saw how ill you were lying on that bed, how he wished that it was him and not you, how his heart was jumping in his throat thinking that he could lose you.

"I could've ignored Ros' phone call that night, you know, pretend that it never happened, but I had already decided to change myself back then, no more secrets, no more fuckups, no more lies, I was adamant to redeem myself but I just didn't know the right method to do it, granted, I didn't choose the best way, but at least, once in my fucking miserable life, I did something because it felt _morally right_.

"So, no, Jeyne, I _didn't_ give up." He turned, placing the empty glass on the bar. "Nor will I ever do."

"You could've just-" her hand shook vigorously, unable to hold her wine anymore. Her cheeks started rinsing with salty liquid, loud sobs accompanying them this time. " _I_ could've just-"

He plucked the glass from between her fingers and rested it behind them, slipping his free hand slowly behind her head, brushing her hairs gently away from her face. "You have no idea how you devastate me when you cry, Jey." He sighed, pulling her into his chest. "Stop it, alright? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that so suddenly, it's a lot to take in."

She sucked in a large breath, curling her hands into fists on either sides of his grey sweater, pulling him even closer to her. "I feel so dizzy."

"That's what alcohol primarily does." He sighed, rubbing his cheek against the side of her head. "Let's get you seated, sweetheart."

Her grip tightened instantly. "I don't want to."

Theon used his fingers to smoothly tuck her bangs behind her ear, "What do you want then?"

"To stay like this." Jeyne admitted, wishing she was as tipsy as she sounded, "It feels nice."

"I know." He huffed, sending tickles against her skin. "But let me make you more comfortable."

Two hands slipped under each of her thighs, making Jeyne wrap her arms around his neck on instinct as Theon lifted her up, placing her as gently as he can on the bar, sending a couple glasses to fall back but none of them seemed to care about the tidiness anymore.

"Better?" he whispered when she was completely settled, his hands plastering on the surface of the bar on each side of her.

"Better." She nodded, her arms not unwrapping for the life of her, not that he seemed to mind.

"I'm sorry." He said with the faintest, yet most certain tone he can muster. "For that note; I wasn't thinking at the time."

"I'm sorry, too." She said against his collarbone, "For never listening, for never giving you a fair chance to explain."

"It's alright." Theon insisted, "Just in the future... have some faith in me, aye?"

"I'll try my hardest." She mumbled, staying true to herself. "Sansa said something about you turning celibate, and I believe it now."

"That good." She heard the smile in his voice. "You know, when one has a soulmate like you, and after having a mere taste, no other woman could come close."

"We just kissed."

"Best kiss, or _kisses_ , I've ever had." He declared, "Thinking about being with someone else... became _repulsing_. I didn't want anyone else to taint your essence on me after that."

She grinned from utter satisfaction. "And you claim to not know how to compliment me."

"That wasn't a compliment." Theon said quickly, "That was a truth."

"Is that so?" Jeyne mumbled, not knowing where the fluidity of speech came from, "Tell me some more truths then."

He drew back ever so slightly, staring down at her, his smile mimicking hers as Jeyne dropped her arms to her sides. "Where to begin?" he placed his knuckles under her chin, his thumb stroking her cheek slowly. "From your character, how it makes me a better person? How some mere words from you drive me crazy? How you still care about me enough to stitch me up and take my own pain?" Theon moved closer, closing in between her legs and securing her face between her hands, his thumbs moving shadowy trails on her face. "Or shall I talk about how fucking beautiful you are?" his voice lowered, staring at every inch of her in front of him. "From your breathtaking eyes, to your adorable nose, to your cheekbones that are always red when you're near me, and-" his eyes settled on her mouth, and stayed there, his finger pulling the bottom lip down just like he did when she was asleep, "To those _lips_."

The reason she titled the sensation of their contact as wildfire, was because it was the hottest substance she could think of, the heat alone brought any brazier to shame, to a point she wondered how her face didn't burn every time Theon touched her, in a way, she thought of herself as a Targaryen in his presence, completely immune to fire.

Her head was swimming in turmoils, goosebumps making their way into her spine and throughout her entire body, leaving her fingers shaking in bliss.

Jeyne closed her eyes, trying to comprehend and keep all her pent up emotions at bay when Theon's hold hardened, hot breath fanning her mouth before it was completely sealed, without warning.

One of his hands cupped the back of her neck, squeezing her face closer to him as his lips moved, the other one falling back on the bar, clinching for restraint.

Theon's kisses were polar opposite to his natural make up, they never held any ill intensions, not with how elegant, soft, and painfully slow they were, free of any dark sensations, save for lust, and bare of any pretentious purposes. They were a portal of a raw mixture of emotions they both shared.

The hardness against the inside of her thigh did not give her any seconds thoughts as she regained control over her body, lifting both of her hands to his head, brushing her fingers through that dirty blond hair and finally realizing just how soft it truly was, even more than it appeared to be.

She wanted to believe. She wanted to have faith in him. She wanted to trust him. Because gods knew that all these years of doing the opposite bore no fruits, if not rotten from the inside.

She wanted to change that twisted fate that always chased them like a shadow.

She wanted to have what was hers by universal right.

She wanted her soulmate to be _hers_ , and hers only.

Countless ribbons were emitting from both of their souls, swirling around them in different saturated colors to highlight each different emotions they were representing, so near to absolute detonation when they reached the peak of spiritual connection.

His tongue unlaced from hers after a prolonged battle of passion, drawing back to allow her to breath as he trailed kisses on the side of her face and temple.

 _Why does this feel so good?_ She wondered with half shut eyes and heavy breaths. _Why does it feel better than all my sensual experiences combined?_

It wasn't even fair.

"So... fucking... perfect." Theon said between kisses, his strength and persistence never showing, but he wasn't as good when it came to hiding his struggle to control himself, not with how his hand was balling together for distraction, his hardness rubbing on her, or his overflow of lust that she felt all too well.

"Theon." Her hands settled on his shoulders, struggling to keep eye contact since he couldn't look at her for too long.

He kissed her on the lips again before sparing time to respond. "Yes, Jeyne?"

She realized by then how mesmerizing his eyes truly were, never have she been able to see them from equal height like that before. They were a faint blue shade, and if you looked closely, you'd see a touch of grey irises. That one small detail was more important than anything else she could think of then, especially with how they were dilated, looking twice as large and dark.

It was one of the rare times that she had seen life in them, and knowing that Jeyne had a hand in that, made her heartbeat escalate even further.

"Undress me."

Silence coated everything around them like a cloud, but the clock kept ticking louder and louder, as if to reflect Theon's reaction and thoughts. He focused enough to look at her, feel the certainty radiating off of her, then thinking even more. Those words meant a lot, to both of them, of course she knew that he wouldn't be physically able to just do that without losing control, and that's what Jeyne wanted, from the very core.

His eyes almost lost all color and turned black from all the need collecting inside of him. She did not need a sensor to know that, especially with how messed up she herself was at the moment, who was having it harder, though, was still uncertain.

Those few moments felt like years, thirteen years, to be specific, of dreams, desires, wishes, fantasies, and imaginations. It was time to fully be one. The time to see the true reason as to why they were created for each other. The time to do what the gods wanted them to do. The time to unlock everything that was forbidden from them for longer than a normal person can handle.

The events of tonight, the revelations of tonight, and the problems that weighed in years, had to go and gods have mercy, _never_ creep into their lives ever again.

Jeyne was through with waiting, she had been doing that for too long. She did not want to wait one minute further. She wanted to claim and be claimed. She wanted to exploit her senses and experience another sensation that was mere stories to her.

She wanted him, and badly.

"I will ask this only once, so be careful with your answer." Theon finally spoke, his voice almost unrecognizable with how rough it became, whatever he was going to ask, the words alone seemed hard to get out of his throat. "Are you sure?"

She did not even blink. "Ye-"

Jeyne did not even have the chance to complete that simple word of acceptance before she felt his arms around her shoulders and under her knees, sweeping her off of the bar in one quick instant.

"As my lady commands." He said with the biggest grin his face can express as he carried her like his bride, her weight proving nothing to him as not even one sign of struggle was shown, just determination and pure happiness.

The mere idea of someday being his bride was incomprehensible, Jeyne realized, her face heating up even more than it already was to a point she thought of it as an ill timed fever.

They weren't moving, she noticed through all that haze, as she looked up, she saw him staring at nothingness with a frown on his face, immediately alarming her. "What are you doing?"

Her worries vanished when his beautiful grin was back upon hearing her voice, "You fucked my brain so bad, Jey," he chuckled, "That I don't even remember where the bedroom is."

She squeezed her eyes shut, her heart nearing explosion, wondering if she could survive the night.

* * *

 _Earlier that day:_

 _"I don't want to burst your bubble or anything."_ Robb said carefully, " _But I've never seen you two having a single conversation. Are you sure you can handle it?"_

She stared at the wall under the flickering lights, imagining those sad pale eyes and that blank expression when he told her to mind her own business, and Jeyne ran a hand down her face. "Probably not."

" _Jeyne, no offense, but it's all going to come back the way it always was once the wedding is over,"_ he started, _"So at least leave some good memories with him, eh?"_

"I don't think it will." Jeyne rubbed her eyes. "My contract with the Baratheons is nearing its end and I decided not to renew it."

" _Wait, wait, what?! Wasn't it a partnership?"_

"Yes, but I knew it wouldn't last long so we put a time period to it." she explained, "Everyone thinks that I escaped, but it's not how it was for me, Robb, it was actually a break. An opportunity to grow myself as an independent woman and come back stronger to get my life together, Fleur Tressure isn't my life; it's like a temporary mistress."

" _Kinky."_

"They have this... _thing_ between them that I can't be a part of, I never belonged there, I was just a useful guest. I belong in _Winterfell,_ with my father and the Starks. And Theon... he's my soulmate, I can't just ignore his existence forever." Jeyne sighed, "I was going to return in a few months but Sansa ruined my epic comeback plans."

" _I feel like I'm hearing some very important things that I can't fully comprehend."_

"True, which is why I'm telling you." She smirked, "You told me about your and Theon's secret hideout, so it's a fair exchange of information."

"It's not really mine anymore, even though I visit it more frequently than its actual owner." Robb clarified, "It was initially for house parties but Theon bought my share the moment we got it furnished."

"As a safe house for him, maybe?" she guessed.

" _You are so dense sometimes it's not even funny."_ Robb mumbled under his breath.

"Hey, what was that for?!" she whined.

" _Theon never uses it either,"_ he said, _"He's saving it in case you ever came back to him, Jeyne, he bought it for_ _ **you**_ _."_

* * *

 _Currently:_

With Theon's sense of humor, and Jeyne's levelheadedness, they managed to calm down in time.

She had to convey some of her thoughts of wanting to make the first time as special as possible so none of them will be able to forget it.

A few words were all she wanted to let out, but upon telling him, it really caught Theon's interest in a way she never thought it would.

He wanted to know every single detail of how she wanted her first time to be, with insistence, in which, after multiple times of detecting her lies and getting really frustrated by her, Jeyne was forced to reveal everything, every single corny detail of her ideal first time.

And Theon made it a mission to make that come true, much to her embarrassment.

All the while, Jeyne couldn't deny that she was anxious, and at the same time, scared, especially since she didn't know what to expect of him, and the long build up did not help, either.

Watching Theon lit candles and place them throughout the room made her nervous, even more when he threw flower petals on the bed.

Watching him lower the intensity of the lights made her gulp.

Watching him take off his clothing until he had nothing on but boxers made her absolutely breathless.

He tossed his sweater on the ground next to his feet, catching her eyes when he lifted his head up, only to smile at her with that lively glint in his eyes that did not seem to disappear ever since they made their way upstairs.

Jeyne tried to look away, she truly did, but that was simply impossible, not when she finally had the chance to see parts of him that she'd never seen animated before. Granted, she memorized every single half nude photo he took for several magazines, but knowing that Theon Greyjoy was in front of her, getting naked only for his soulmate, made it almost a billion times more desirable to her poor eyes.

All those years in the football field and all those hours in the gym paid off fascinatingly, with each portion of muscle and hard line across his skin, a shadow rippled from the candles, dancing on his outline and highlighting it like a living dream of any woman.

Pale, defined, and lean enough, Theon was the most attractive man Jeyne had ever laid eyes on, by far. Her arms tightened around herself, the idea of him being all hers still not registering yet, and if that happened any time soon, Jeyne wouldn't know for sure.

He crawled into bed in slow motion, making Jeyne shake from the raging nerves, but he did not move any further or near in, in which she was thankful for, or else she was going to break down on the spot.

As she suspected, the prolonged preparations just made everything _worse_.

He just stared at her with that small smile that could turn stones, his eyes not moving down to her half exposed body, which she either thought it a miracle of him, or just the fact that he wasn't as excited anymore.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled out of the blue, the words coming out without her thinking about them. "I probably killed the mood-"

He completely ignored her, judging by how his eyes never moved and his facial expression staying the same, as if he wasn't even listening.

He put a hand on the mattress. "Come here."

She turned her head away, breaths incontrollable and heart as heavy as a rock by those two words that almost killed her earlier that night.

Jeyne exhaled, gathering all her courage to unhook her arms from around her knees and scoot in toward his direction.

She knew that the oversized shirt she was wearing did not cover much, yet, she couldn't complain since wearing something that belonged to him was a requirement of her ideal first time.

Upon reaching his spot, Theon swiftly adjusted his position and guided her body until she settled on his lap, his hands grabbing her waist.

The proximity was fatal, Jeyne never thought, not in her wildest dreams, that being this close to him, skin to skin, would feel this overwhelming.

Every area of contact was in flames, and felt so, devastatingly good she didn't know what to do with it.

Jeyne had her bowed, unable to meet his gaze, her anxiety surfacing at the worst time possible.

His hands brushed against the fabric of her shirt in ghostly, barely there movements, from up and down her arms, to her sides, to the small of her back then to her shoulder blades until they settled on the almost ruined braid she had on.

She didn't know if he was being this sensual because he was trying to slowly feel everything he could get his hands on, or make her feel more comfortable, probably both.

Theon gently kissed her temple and kept his mouth there, breathing against her skin, sending delicious tickles throughout her body as skillful fingers started untying her hair.

All she could see with his mouth plastered on the side of her face, was the tightness of the skin around his neck and collarbone, which only made things harder because that sight alone was too much.

Her brown locks were finally undone and Theon took the opportunity to run his fingers through her strands, setting them free to cascade down her back and returned to massage her scalp with the tip of his fingers.

She swore on every single god in existence that she could have died from satisfaction right then and there.

Jeyne didn't know whether he was deliberately bringing out her fantasies to life or that he was following his instinct. It was certainly the latter, no question, since Jeyne was too ashamed to actually reveal those tiny details.

He pulled away, looking down at her with so much intensity for a split second before she turned her head again.

"Look at you, Jeyne," he whispered huskily, placing his thumb and index fingers under chin to make her look at him directly. "Seducing me as we speak."

She pursed her lips, her stomach dropping when his fingers grabbed the hem of her shirt, pulling it up and brushing against the skin of her torso before he completely slipped it off of her head.

He flung it across the room but made no attempt to reach out to her bra, nor did he glance at anything down her neck when he looked at her again.

He pushed the fallen hair to her back, kissing the spot between her shoulder and neck with warm, soft lips. "Your shyness is the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

She huffed, unable to withstand that verbal torture anymore; his sweet talk simply had no earthly limits. "I-It's just that this is our first time, and I don't know what you're thinking-" Theon wasn't even listening, she realized as his fingers twirled around the hair strands on her other shoulder, and the way he was admiring it sent chills her way, but she continued talking because there simply wasn't anything else to do. "This whole thing is making me nervous, n-not that I don't want it but it's just – I can't help it. And I made you do all this for preparation, it's freaking silly but it's your fault for-"

"Jeyne?" he locked gazes with her, finally regaining focus.

She swallowed painfully, trying her hardest not to look away. "What?"

Theon cupped her cheek, leaning in and brushing his lips against hers tenderly before closing the distance with a long, passionate kiss, successfully shutting her up.

He stared at her blushing state, his smile remerging. "I love you."

There were times when the soulmate ability to tell the truth from lies was useful, and other times when it was simply too much.

Jeyne didn't know whether it was the intensity of the situation, or the meaning behind those words that made the truth in them shine so bright it was almost painful, as if she hadn't heard something as genuine as that one statement her entire life.

She placed a hand on his naked chest, finally knowing what it felt like to touch him so intimately, as if the glow of words against touches were as stars against the sun.

But he was her stars, she realized, and her sun, because one of them simply wasn't enough to describe the warmth stitching up her soul and repairing it from damage when thirteen years of wait finally came to an end.

"I love you too."

 **The End**

* * *

 _ **[A/N]**_

Seven hells. Pressing _'Completed'_ kind of broke my heart.

 **Why don't you write sex scenes?** Because it's better to leave it to the imagination.

Seriously. With my writing skills in that department, I think describing their exhaustion, bliss, number of orgasms, and love marks would help you picture it better than a thousand words of an amateur eighteen year old writer like me.

 **Is Gendry a virgin?** Aye, in fact, most of my young characters are virgins since saving yourself for your soulmate is kind of a trend in this AU. (All of them were in past relationships, though)

 **Non Virgin characters:** Theon and Ygritte.

 **Why does Jeyne cry so fucking much?** Ikr.

 **Will there be a prologue?** Debatable. I might write the events of the wedding in three POV's of my leading characters. Either in the next few weeks or never because I really have to get my shit together and focus on studying. (Blame senior year, not me)

 **Chances of writing more chapters with different pairings** : None. I've already noticed that I'm getting repetitive and that's what I always try to avoid, hence why I never wrote more than 15 chapters for one pairing. Quality over quantity, or I won't have it.

 **Special thanks to:** Veridissima, Madlenita, Shewolf123, Tardisinthesgc, Wessiepie, Moi, and Bluegrayeyes.

Those beautiful people have been sticking with this fic from the beginning and always showed their support upon every update, and it really was a lot of encouragement when I was near giving up. (They were dark times, man)

Also a quick thanks to another beautiful person, Str Mercury (gracias por seňalar mi gran error)

And a shitton of thank you's to all of you who bothered reading my work and were insane enough to love it! How in the Stranger's name did a fic this short get so many reviews! Gtfo!

No seriously, you guys (Casterly) rock.

I will see you soon, rest assured, winter is here.

May the Mother watch over you all.

 _ALKiller. Out._


End file.
